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SUBALTERN; 



OR, 



Sbfcetcfietf of tfte ^ettitmUav W%v, 



DURING 



THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1813-14. 



BY AN EYEWITNESS. 



NEW-YORK: 

G. & C. CARVILL, 108 BROADWAY. 

Sleight & Tucker, Printers, Jamaica. 
1825. 



\<lT 



3 4.^ ns it 



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THE SUBALTERN. 



CHAPTER I. 

It is now something more than eleven years ago since the 

regiment of infantry, in which I bore a commission, 

began to muster one fine May morning, on the parade ground 
at Hythe. An order had reached us two days before, to 
prepare for immediate service in the Peninsula ; and on the 
morning to which I allude, we were to commence our 
march for that purpose. The port of embarkation was 
Dover, a port only twelve miles distant from our canton- 
ments, where a couple of transports, with a gun brig as 
convoy, were waiting to receive us. 

The short space of time which intervened between the 
arrival of the rout, and the eventful day which saw its di- 
rections carried into effect, v/as spent by myself, and by my 
brother officers, in making the best of preparations which 
circumstances would permit for a campaign. Sundry little 
pieces of furniture, by the help of which we had contrived 
to render our barrack-rooms somewhat habitable, were sold 
for one tenth part of their value ; a selection was made 
from our respective wardrobes, of such articles of apparel, 
as, being in a state of tolerable preservation, promised to 
continue for the longest time serviceable ; canteens were 
hastily fitted up, and stored with tea, sugar, and other lux- 
uries ; cloaks%vere purchased by those who possessed 
them not before, and put in a state of repair by those who 
did ; in a word, every thing was done which could be done 
by men similarly situated, not even forgetting the payment 

1* 



6 

of debts, or the inditing of farewell letters in due fo*m to 
absent friends and relations. Perhaps the reader may be 
curious to know with what stock of necessaries the gene- 
rality of British officers were wont, in the stirring times of 
War, to be contented. I will tell him how much I myself 
packed up in two small portmanteaus, so formed as to be 
an equal balance to each other, when slung across the back 
of a mule ; and as my kit was not remarkable, either for its 
bulk or its scantiness, he will not greatly err, if he esteem 
it a sort of medium for those of my comrades. 

In one of those portmanteaus, then, I deposited a regi- 
mental jacket, with all its appendages of wings, lace, &c. ; 
two pair of grey trowsers, sundry waistcoats, white-colour- 
ed flannel, do. a few changes of flannel drawers ; half a 
dozen pairs of worsted stockings, and as many of cotton. 
In the other were placed six shirts, two or three cravats, a 
dressing-case competently rilled, one undress pelisse, three 
pairs of boots, two pairs of shoes, with night-caps, pocket- 
handkerchiefs, &c. &c. in proportion. Thus, whilst I * 
not encumbered by any useless quantity of apparel, I car- 
ried with me quite enough to load a mule, and to ensure 
myself against the danger of falling short, for at least a 
couple of years to come ; and after providing these and all 
other necessary articles, I retained five-and-twenty pounds 
in my pocket. This sum, indeed, when converted into bul- 
lion, dwindled down to L.17, 18s. ; for in those days we 
purchased dollars at the rate of six shillings a-piece, and 
doubloons at five pounds ; but even L.17, 18s. was no ba ' 
reserve for a subaltern officer in a marching regiment ;. at 
least I was contented with it, and that was enough. 

rt will readily be imagined that I was a®great deal tot 
busy, both in body and mind, to devote to sleep many of th$ 
hours of the night which preceded the day of our -intend? 
departure. My bodily labours, indeed, which had consist 



ed chiefly in packing my baggage, and bidding adieu to the 
few civilians with whom I had formed an acquaintance, 
came to a close two hours before midnight ; but my body 
was no sooner at rest, than my mind began to bestir itself. 
" So," said I, " to-morrow I commence my military career 
in real earnest. Well, and has not this been my most ar- 
dent desire from the first moment that I saw my name in 
the Gazette 1 Had it not been the most prominent petition 
in my daily prayers, for nearly a twelvemonth past, not to 
be kept idling away my youth in the various country-towns 
in England, but to be sent, as speedily as possible, where I 
might have an opportunity of acquiring a practical know- 
ledge of the profession which I had embraced 1 The case 
is even so." And without meaning to proclaim myself a 
fire-eater, I will venture to say, that no individual in the 
corps experienced greater satisfaction than I did at the 
prospect before me. But there were other thoughts which 
obtruded themselves upon me that night, and they savoured 
- good deal of the melancholy. 

I thought of home — of my father, my mother, and my 
sisters. I thought of the glorious mountains, and the fer- 
tile plains, of my native country, and could not help asking 
myself the question, whether it was probable that I should 
ever behold them again. The chances were, that I should 
not ; and as my home had always been to me a scene of the 
purest and most perfect happiness, as I loved my relatives 
tenderly, and knew that I was tenderly beloved by them in 
return, it was impossible for me not to experience a pang of 
extreme bitterness at the idea, that in all human probability 
I should see their faces no more. 

On the other hand, curiosity, if I may call it by so f 5, ^ble 
a term, was on full stretch respecting the future. Now at 
length I was about to learn what war really was ; how hos- 
tile armies met, and battles were decided ; and the resolu- 



8 

lions which I consequently formed as to my own proceed- 
ings, the eagerness with which I longed for an opportunity 
to distinguish myself, and the restlessness of my imagina- 
tion, which persisted in drawing the most ridiculous pictures 
of events which never were, and never could be realized, 
created altogether such a fever in my brain, as rendered 
abortive every attempt to sleep. I went to bed at ten 
o'clock, for the purpose of securing a good night's rest, 
and of being fresh and vigorous in the morning ; but eleven, 
twelve, and one, found me tossing about, and wide awake ; 
nor could I have lain in a state of unconsciousness much 
above an hour, when the sound of the bugle restored me to 
my senses. 

At the first blast I sprang from my bed, and, drawing aside 
the curtain of my window, I looked out. The day w 7 as just 
beginning to break ; the parade ground, into which I gazed, 
was as yet empty, only two or three figures, those of the 
trumpeters, who were puffing away with all their might, be- 
ing discernible upon it ; and not a sound could be distin- 
guished, except that which their puffing produced. The 
moon was shining brightly overhead — -not a breath of air 
was astir — in short, it was just half past three o'clock, and 
the time of parade was four. I dropped the curtain again, 
and addressed myself to my toilette. 

Having completed this, I waited for the second summons, 
when I walked forth. Were I to live a hundred years, I 
shall never forget that morning. Day had dawned, that is 
to say, the light of the moon was overpowered by the in- 
creasing brilliancy of the twilight ; but a thick haze, rising 
from the low grounds, rendered objects even more indis- 
tinct and obscure than they had been half an hour before. 
When I opened my door, therefore, though a confused hum 
of voices, a clattering of canteens, the tread of footsteps, 
and occasionally the clash of arms, struck upon my ear, I 



9 

could see nothing. This did not, however, last long. The 
rising sun gradually dispelled the fog, and in a few moments 
I beheld companies mustering in all forms. Mingling in 
the ranks, I could likewise distinguish the dress of females ; 
and as the noise of assembling gradually subsided into the 
stillness of order, the half-suppressed shriek, or the half- 
stifled sob, became more and more audible. 

There are not many scenes in human life more striking, 
or more harrowing to the feelings of him who regards it for 
the first time, than the departure of a regiment upon foreign 
service. By the customs of the army only six women for 
each company are allowed to follow their husbands, who 
are chosen by lot out of perhaps twenty or thirty. The 
casting of lots is usually deferred till, at least, the evening 
previous to the marching of the corps, probably with the 
humane design of leaving to each female, as long as it can 
be left, the enjoyment of that greatest of all earthly bless- 
ings, hope. The consequence then is, that, a full sense of 
her forlorn condition coming all at once upon the wretched 
creature who is to be abandoned, produces, in many in- 
stances, a violence of grief, the display of which, it is im- 
possible towitness with any degree of indifference. Ma- 
ny were the agonizing scenes of the kind which it was my 
fortune this day to witness ; but there was one so pecu- 
liarly distressing, so much more affecting in all its points, 
than the rest, that I am tempted to give you, Mr. North, a 
detail of it, even at the risk of being thought the writer of 
a romance. I recollect having read in that amusing work, 
" The Hermit in the Country," an anecdote very similar in 
many respects, to the one which I am now going to relate. 
You are not, however, to suppose, that the two stories, bore 
a common origin, namely the imaginations of those by 
whom they are told. The worthy Hermit's tale probably 
rests upon no better foundation ; but mine is a true story. 



10 

and its truth will no doubt be attested by several of your 
readers : that is, supposing you to have any readers in the 
regiment of foot. 

About three months previous to the day of embarkation, 
a batch of recruits had joined the regiment from Scotland. 
Among them was a remarkably fine young Highlander ; a 
native, if I recollect right, of Balquidder, called Duncan 
Stewart. Duncan was in all respects a good soldier ; he 
was clean, sober, orderly, and well beloved ; but he seemed 
to be of a singularly melancholy tempe* ; never mixing in 
the sports and amusements of his comrades, nor even 
speaking except when he was obliged to speak. It so hap- 
pened that the pay-serjeant of Duncan's company was 
likewise a Highlander; and Highlanders, being of all de- 
scription of persons the most national, he very soon began 
to interest himself about the fate of the young recruit. At 
first Duncan shrunk back even from his advances, but it is 
not natural for the human heart, especially during the sea- 
son of youth, to continue long indifferent to acts of kind- 
ness ; so Duncan gradually permitted honest M'Intyre to 
insinuate himself into his good graces ; and they became, 
before long, bosom friends. 

When they had continued for some weeks on a footing 
of intimacy, Dmican did not scruple to make his friend 
the serjeant acquainted with the cause of his dejection. 
It was simply this : — 

Duncan was the son of a Highland farmer, who, like 
many of his countrymen in that situation, cultivated bar- 
ley for the purpose of making whiskey ; in plain language, 
was a determined smuggler. Not far from the abode of 
Stewart, dwelt an exciseman of the name of Young, who 
being extremely active in the discharge of his duty, had on 
various occasions made seizure of his neighbours' kegs as 
they were on their march towards the low-countries. This 



11 

was an offence which the Highlander of course could not 
forgive; and there accordingly subsisted between the 
smuggler and the gauger, a degree of antipathy far sur- 
passing anything of which it is easy for us to form a con- 
ception. It must however be, confessed, that the feeling 
of hatred was all on one side. Stewart hated Young for 
presuming to interfere with his honest calling ; and de- 
spised him, because he had the misfortune to be born in the 
shire of Renfrew ; whereas Young was disposed to behave 
civilly to his neighbour, on every occasion except when 
his whiskey casks happened to come in the way. 

Gauger Young had an only and a very pretty daughter, 
a girl of eighteen years of age, with whom, Duncan, as a 
matter of course, fell in love. The maiden returned his 
love, at which I am by no means surprised, for a hand- 
somer or more manly-looking youth one would not desire 
to see ; but, alas, old Stewart would not hear of their union ; 
absolutely commanding his son, under penalty of his hea- 
viest malediction, not to think of her again. The authori- 
ty of parents over their children, even after they have 
grown up to the age of manhood, is in Scotland very great, 
and so Duncan would not dispute his father's will ; and find- 
ing all entreaty to alter it useless, he determined to sacrifice 
inclination to duty, and to meet his pretty Mary no more. 

In this resolution he adhered for several days, but, to 
use his own words, "gang where I would, and do what I 
liket, I aye saw her before me. I saw her once, to tell 
her what my father had said ; indeed we were baith gay 
sure how it would be, before I spak to him ava ; in troth 
the look she gae me, M'Intyre, I ne'er forgot it, and I 
never can forget it. It haunted me like a ghaist baith 
night and day." 

The consequence of constantly beholding such a vision 
may easily be imagined. Duncan forgot his determination 



12 

and his duty, and found himself one evening, he scarce 
knew how, once more walking with Mary by the loch side. 
This occurred again and again. The meetings were the 
more sweet because they were secret, and they ended — as 
such stolen meetings generally end among persons of their 
station in life. Duncan was assured of becoming a father, 
before he was a husband. 

This, however, was not to be permitted ; Duncan was too 
tenderly attached to Mary, to suffer disgrace to fall upon 
her, even though he should incur the threatened penalty of 
a father's curse by marrying ; so he resolved, at all ha- 
zards, to make her his wife. The reader is no doubt 
aware, that marriages are much more easily contracted in 
Scotland, than on the south side of the Tweed. An ex- 
change of lines, as it is called, that is to say, a mutual 
agreement to live as man and wife, drawn up and signed 
by a young man and a young woman, constitutes as indis- 
putable a union in North Britain, as if the marriage cere- 
mony had been read or uttered by a clergyman ; and to this 
method of uniting their destinies Duncan and Mary had re- 
course. They addressed a letter, the one to the other, in 
which he acknowledged her to be his wife, and she ac- 
knowledged him to be her husband ; and, having made an 
exchange of them, they became to all intents and purposes 
a married couple. 

Having thus gone in direct opposition to the will of his 
father, Duncan was by no means easy in his own mind. He 
well knew the unforgiving temper of the man with whom 
he had to deal ; he knew likewise that his disobedience 
could not be long kept a secret, and the nearer the period 
approached which would compel a disclosure, the more 
anxious and uncomfortable he became. At length the 
time arrived when he must either acknowledge his mar- 
riage or leave Mary to infamy. It was the season of Doun 



13 

fair, and Duncan was entrusted with the care of a drove of 
sheep which were to be disposed of at that market. Hav- 
ing bid farewell to his wife, he set out, still carrying his 
secret with him, but determined to disclose it by letter, as 
soon as he should reach Doun. His object in acting thus 
was, partly, to escape the first burst of his father's anger, 
and partly with the hope, that, having escaped it, he might 
be received at his return with forgiveness ; but then the 
poor fellow had no opportunity of ascertaining the success 
of his scheme. 

When he reached Doun, Duncan felt himself far too un- 
happy to attend to business. He accordingly entrusted 
the sale of his sheep to a neighbour ; and setting down in 
one of the public houses wrote that letter which had been 
the subject of his meditations ever since he left Bal- 
quidder. Having completed this, Duncan bravely deter- 
mined to forget his sorrows for a while, for which purpose 
he swallowed a dose of whiskey, and entered into conver- 
sation with the company about him, among whom were 
several soldiers, fine, merry, hearty fellows, who, with their 
corporal, were on the lookout for recruits. The leader of 
the party was a skilful man in his vocation ; he admired 
the fine proportions of the youth before him, and deter- 
mined to enlist him if he could. For this purpose more 
whiskey was ordered, — funny histories were told by him 
and his companions — Duncan was plied with dram after 
dram, till at length he became completely inebriated, and 
the shilling was put into his hand. No time was given 
him to recover from his surprise ; for, long ere the effects 
of intoxication had evaporated, Duncan was on his way to 
Edinburgh. Here he was instantly embarked with a num- 
ber of young men similarly situated ; and he actually 
reached head-quarters without having had an opportunity 
so much as to inform his relations of his fate. 

2 



14 

The sequel of Duncan's story is soon told. Having 
obtained permission from the commanding officer, he wrote 
to Scotland for his wife, who joyfully hastened to join him. 
Her father did what he could, indeed, to prevent this step ; 
not from any hatred towards his daughter, to whom he had 
behaved with great kindness in her distress, but because 
he knew how uncomfortable was the sort of life which she 
must lead as the wife of a private soldier ; but Mary re- 
sisted every entreaty to remain apart from Duncan; she 
had been in a state of utter misery during the many weeks 
in which she was left in ignorance of his situation ; and, 
now that she knew where he was to be found, nothing 
should hinder her from following him. Though far gone 
in a state of pregnancy, she set out instantly for the south 
of England ; and having endured with patience, all incon- 
veniences attendant upon her want of experience as a tra- 
veller, she succeeded in reaching Hythe, just one week 
previous to the embarkation of the regiment. 

This ill-fated couple were hardly brought together when 
they were once more doomed to part. Poor Mary's name 
came up among the names of those who should remain 
behind the regiment, and no language of mine can do jus- 
tice to the scene which took place. I was not present 
when the women drew their tickets; but I was told by 
M'Intyre, that when Mary unrolled the slip of paper, and 
read upon it the fatal words, " To be left," she looked as 
if Heaven itself were incapable of adding one additional 
pang to her misery. Holding it with both hands, at the 
full stretch of her arms from her face, she gazed upon it 
for some minutes without speaking a word, though the na- 
tural succession of colour and deadly paleness upon her 
cheeks, told how severe was the struggle which was going 
on within ; till at length, completely overpowered by her 



15 

own sensations, she crushed it between her palms, and fell 
senseless into the arms of a female who stood near. 

That night was spent by Duncan and his wife exactly as 
it was to be supposed that it would be spent. They did 
not so much as lie down ; but the moments sped on in spite 
of their watchfulness, — and at last the bugle sounded. 
When I came upon the ground, I saw Duncan standing in 
his place, but Mary was not near him. The wives of the 
few soldiers who were left behind to form a depot, having 
kindly detained her in the barrack-room. But, just before 
the column began to move, she rushed forth; and the 
scream which she uttered, as she flew toward Duncan, was 
heard throughout the whjble of the ranks. — " Duncan, Dun- 
can," the poor thing cried, as she clung wildly round his 
neck: "Oh, Duncan, Duncan Stewart, ye're no gawn to 
leave me again, and mifsa near being a mother ! O, Ser- 
jeant M'Intyre, dinna tak' him awa' ! if ye hae ony pity, 
dinna, dinna, tak' him ! — O, sir, ye'll let me gang wi' him?" 
she added, turning to one of the officers who stood by; 
" for the love of heaven, if ye hae ony pity in ye, dinna 
separate us !" 

Poor Duncan stood all this while in silence, leaning his 
forehead upon the muzzle of his firelock, and supporting 
his wretched wife upon his arm. He shed no tears — 
which is more than I can say for myself, or indeed for al- 
most any private or officer upon the parade — his grief was 
evidently beyond them. " Ye may come as far as Dover, 
at least," he at length said, in a sort of murmur ; and the 
poor creature absolutely shrieked with delight at the re- 
prieve. 

The band now struck up, and the column began to move, 
the men shouting, partly to drown the cries of the women, 
and partly to express their own willingness to meet the ene- 
my. Mary walked by the side of her husband ; but she look- 



16 

ed more like a moving corpse than a living creature. — She 
was evidently suffering acutely, not only in mind but in 
body; indeed we had not proceeded above three miles on 
our journey, before she was seized with the pains of labour. 
It would have been the height of barbarity to have hindered 
her unfortunate husband, under these circumstances, from 
halting to take care of her ; so having received his promise 
to join the regiment again before dark, we permitted him to 
fall out of the ranks. Fortunately a cottage stood at no 
g£eat distance from the road side, into which he and his 
friend M'Intyre removed her; and while there, I have rea- 
son to believe, she was received with great humanity, and 
treated with kindness ; indeed, the inhabitants of the cot- 
tage must have been devoid of vevery thing human except 
the form, had they treated a young woman so situated, 
otherwise than kindly. £3k 

A four hours' march brought the regiment in- high spirits, 
and in good order, into Dover. As a matter of course, 
the inhabitants filled their windows, and thronged the 
streets, to witness the embarkation of a body of their coun- 
trymen, of whom it was more than probable that few would 
return ; nor have I any cause to doubt the sincerity of the 
good wishes which they expressed, for our success and 
safety. It is only during the dull times of peace, or, 
which amounts to the same thing, when troops are lying 
idly in a garrison town, that feelings of mutual jealousy 
arise between the inhabitants and the soldiers. 

As the men came in fresh, and, which by no means in- 
variably follows, sober, little more than half an hour was 
spent in embarking. The transports, fortunately, lay along- 
side the pier; consequently, there was no need to employ 
boats for the removal of the troops and baggage ; but 
boards being placed as bridges from the pier to the deck, 
the companies filed easily' and regularly into their re- 



17 

spective ships. We were not, however, to sail till the 
following morning, the remainder of that day being allow- 
ed for laying in sea-stock ; and hence, as soon as they 
had seen the men comfortably housed, the officers ad- 
journed to the various inns in the place. 

Like my companions, I returned again to shore as soon 
as I had attended to the comforts of my division ; but my 
mind was too full of the image of poor Mary, to permit 
my entering with gusto into the various amusements of 
my friends. I preferred walking back in the direction of 
Hythe, with the hope of meeting M'Xntyre, and ascer- 
tain how the poor creature did. I walked, however, for 
some time, before any travellg&made his appearance. At 
length when the interest which I had felt in the fate of the 
young couple was beginning in some degree to moderate, 
and I was meditating a return to the inn, I saw two sol- 
diers moving towards me. As they approached, I readily 
discovered that they were Duncan and his friend ; so I 
waited for them. "Duncan Stewart," said I, "how is 
your wife ?" — The poor fellow did not answer, but, touch- 
ing his cap, passed on. "How is his wife, M'Intyre ?" 
said I to the serjeant, who stood still. The honest 
Scotchman burst into tears; and as soon as he could 
command himself, he laconically answered, "She is at 
rest, sir." from this I guessed that she was dead ; and 
on more minute inquiry, I learned it was even so ; — she 
died a few minutes after they removed her into the cot- 
tage, without having brought her child into the world. 
An attempt was made to save the infant, by performing 
the Csesarean operation, but without effect; it hardly 
breathed at all. 

Though the officer who commanded the depot was sent 
for, and offered to take the responsibility upon himself, 
if Duncan wished to remain behind for the purpose of 

2* 



18 



burrying his wife, the poor fellow would not avail himself 
of the offer. All that he desired was a solemn assurance 
from the officer that he would see his dear Mary decently 
interred ; and as soon as the promise was given, the young 
widower hastened to join his regiment. He scarcely spoke 
after; and he was one of the first who fell after the regi- 
ment landed in Spain, 





* 



CHAPTER II. 



I have seldom witnessed a more beautiful summer's da\ 
than that on which our ships cast loose from their moor- 
ings, and put to sea. It was past noon before the tide 
arose, consequently the whole town of Dover was afoot 
to watch our departure. Crowds of well-dressed people 
stood upon the pier, bidding us farewell with hearty cheers, 
and waving of their hats and handkerchiefs — salutes which 
we cordially answered, by shouting and waving ours in 
return. But the wind was fair, and the tide in our favour. 
Objects on shore became gradually more and more indis- 
tinct ; the shouts grew fainter and fainter, and at length were 
heard no more. All the sail was set which our frail masts 
were capable of carrying ; and long before dark, nothing 
could be distinguished of Dover, or its magnificent clifTs, 
except a faint and vapouring outline. 

The favourable breeze which carried us so rapidly be- 
yond the straits of Dover, did not, however, last long. We 
had just caught sight of the low-lying point of Dungeness, 
when it suddenly chopped round, and blew a perfect hurri- 
cane in our teeth. It was, indeed, with the utmost diffi- 
culty that we succeeded in getting so near the head-land, 
as to obtain some shelter from the rolling sea which came 
up Channel ; and here we had the misery to remain, con- 
suming our sea stock for no purpose, and growling over 
the inconstancy of the windy element for a space of time 
considerably exceeding a week. I have spent many disa- 
greeable weeks — that is, many weeks which might have 
been more profitably and more pleasantly spent ; but one 



20 

more utterly insipid than this — more galling to the spirits, 
or more trying to the temper, I cannot recollect. Even 
now, at the distance of eleven long years, I remember it, 
and the very name of Dungeness, as abomination in mine 
ears. 

At length the gale moderated, and we once more put to 
sea ; but only to be driven hither and thither by the most 
provokingly adverse weather to which men thirsting for 
military glory were ever exposed. Hastings, Eastbourne, 
Brighton, Worthing, all made their appearance in succes- 
sion, and all remained so long in sight that we cordially 
wished them engulphed in the ocean. At the same tedious 
rate we moved onwards till Plymouth harbour lay before 
us ; into which we were necessitated to put, for the pur- 
pose of renewing our fresh provisions and water. 

In this place nearly another precious week was wasted ; 
consequently July was far advanced ere we could be said 
to have commenced our voyage in earnest, nor was it till 
the 13th day of August, 1813, that the bold outline of the 
Spanish coast became discernible. In crossing the Bay of 
Biscay we had been baffled by continual calms, and tossed 
about by the swell which always prevails there ; our sails- 
were, for the most part, perfectly useless, flapping indo- 
lently upon the masts ; and though we did our best to keep 
up a good heart, we were all, both officers and men, begin- 
ning to wish ourselves anywhere rather than cooped up in 
a transport, when a cry of land, from the mast-head, attract- 
ed our attention. 

We had kept our direct course so well, notwithstanding 
the frequent calms and adverse breezes to which we had 
been exposed,, that the only coast we made, after losing 
sight of the Scilly Isles, was that of Biscay. The province 
of Biscay is in general rugged and mountainous, the Pyre- 
nees extending, in some places, to the water's edge — and 



21 

lience the voyager who beholds that coast for the first time 
is apt to imagine himself near the conclusion of his voyage 
long before the situation of the vessel authorises him so to 
do. Such was precisely the case with us on the present 
occasion. Turning our eyes in the direction to which the 
lookout seaman pointed, and beholding a line of coast so 
bold, as that almost all its features were clearly distinguish- 
able, we fondly flattered ourselves that this evening, or the 
next morning at latest, would see us on shore ; but hour 
after hour passed by without bringing us in any sensible 
degree nearer to the object of our gaze. The wind, too, 
which had hitherto blown against us, was now in our favour; 
yet day-light departed, and we could not so much as tell 
whether we had gained upon the land, or otherwise. Next 
morning, when I ascended the deck, I was delighted to per- 
ceive that we were not more than three or four miles from 
shore, and that we were moving steadily along at the rate 
of five miles and a half in the hour. Soon after, a mer- 
chant vessel hailed us, by which we were informed of the 
issue of the battles of the Pyrenees, and of the investure 
of St. Sebastian's ; and I had the farther gratification of 
beholding the gun-brig, under whose convoy we sailed, 
make prize of a tight-built American privateer schooner ; 
but I could see nothing as yet of the harbour of Passages, 
towards which we were bound, and this day, accordingly, 
passed on as the other had done, under the galling pressure 
of hope deferred. 

On the 17th of August, the first decisive indication of 
our approach to the seat of war was discovered, in the sound 
of a heavy cannonade, heard at first indistinctly, but beco- 
ming every hour more and more audible. This, we had 
little doubt, proceeded from the town of St. Sebastian's, 
and from the batteries of its besiegers ; bin it was in vain 
that we turned our glasses in the direction of the sound, 



22 

with the hope of ascertaining whether or not our supposi- 
tion was correct. Though we strained our eyes with the 
utmost anxiety as long as day-light lasted, nothing could 
be descried which we desired to behold, and we were once 
more compelled to contemplate with resignation the pros- 
pect of spending another night in the extreme confinement 
of a cabin. The dawn of the following day, however, ex- 
cited new and livelier feelings within us, when we found 
ourselves within a few hours sail of the landing-place, in a 
situation perhaps as interesting as can well be imagined to 
the mind of a soldier. 

On ascending the deck of our ship at 6 o'clock in the 
morning of the 18th, I perceived that we were lying, under 
the influence of a dead calm, within range of the guns of 
the Castle of St. Sebastian's, and at a distance of perhaps 
a mile and a half, or two miles, from shore. This fortress 
is built upon the summit of a perpendicular rock, of the 
height of perhaps two or three hundred feet, the foot of 
which is washed on three sides by the sea, and when 
viewed, as we then viewed it, from the water, presents as 
formidable an appearance as any fortified place need to 
present. Its works, owing to the great height, are placed 
completely beyond the reach of molestation from a hostile 
squadron ; whilst pov/erful batteries, rising tier above tier, 
wherever any platform in the rock has permitted them to 
be erected, threaten with inevitable destruction any vessel 
which may rashly venture within reach of their fire. 

On the right of the castle is a small bay, which forms an 
extremely commodious harbour, and which is sheltered 
from the weather by a little island or mole, so placed, as 
that only one ship at a time can pass between it and the 
fort ; whilst on the left, again, the river Gurumea, passing 
close under the walls of the town, joins the sea at the base 
of the castle rock, At a distance of perhaps a mile and a 



23 

half, or two miles, several high hills enclose the place on 
every side, between which and the ramparts the country is 
flat, and the soil sandy and unfruitful. 

The reader has not, I dare say, forgotten, that after the 
battle of Vittoria, Sir Thomas Graham, at the head of the 
5th division of the British army, achieved a succession of 
petty victories over detached bodies of the enemy, and 
finally sat down before the town of St. Sebastian's. On 
the 17th of July, the convent of St. Bertholome, which is 
built upon one of the heights just alluded to, and which the 
French had fortified with great diligence and care, was taken 
by assault, and on the same night the ground for the 
trenches was broken. As the troops worked for their 
lives, blue lights being thrown out from the city, and a smart 
fire kept up upon them all the while, they laboured with such 
assiduity, as to effect a pretty secure cover for themselves 
before morning, and the sandy soil of the place being highly 
favourable to such operations, the first parallel was drawn 
within a moderate space of time. The trenches, indeed, 
were completed, and breaching batteries erected by the 
21st, on the morning of which day upwards of forty pieces 
of ordnance opened their fire upon the place ; and so inces- 
sant and so effectual was their practice, that, on the evening 
of the 24th a breach was effected. 

As the breach seemed practicable, and as Sir Thomas 
was aware that the advance of the whole army was delayed 
only till this important place should fall, he determined to 
lose no time in bringing matters to the issue of a storm, 
and orders were accordingly given that the troops should 
form in the trenches after dark, and be ready to commence 
the assault as soon as the state of the tide would permit 
the river to be forded. This occurred about two o'clock 
in the morning of the 25th, when the storming party ad- 
vanced with great gallantry to the attack ; but whether it 



24 

was that the breach was not sufficiently assailable, or thai 
some panic seized the leading divisions, the attack entirely 
failed. A sudden cry of " Retreat, retreat !" arose just as 
the first company had gained the summit of the rampart ; 
it spread with extraordinary rapidity through the column, 
and some houses, which were Close to the wall of the 
town, taking fire at the instant, all became confusion and 
dismay. Those who were already on the breach, turned 
round, and rushed against those who were ascending ; of 
these many missed their footing, and fell ; and the enemy, 
keeping up a tremendous fire of grape, musketry, and gre- 
nades all the while, the whole column speedily lost its 
order and tractability. A retreat, or rather a flight, accord- 
ingly began in real earnest ; and happy was he who first 
made his way once more across the Gurumea, and found 
himself sheltered from destruction by the trenches. The 
loss in this affair amounted on our part to nearly a thousand 
men, of whom many, who had been only wounded, and 
had fallen within high- water mark, were carried off by the 
returning tide, and drowned. 

From the period of this failure till some days after our 
arrival in the country, no farther attempts were made upon 
St. Sebastian's, and the beseiged were consequently ena- 
bled to repair, in a great degree, the devastation which had 
been committed upon their fortifications. The causes of 
this inactivity on the part of the besiegers were, first, the. 
want of ammunition, of which a supply had been long ex- 
pected from England, but which adverse winds had detain- 
ed ; and, secondly, sundry demonstrations on the part of 
the French army, of renewing offensive operations, and 
raising the siege. Whilst these were making, it was 
deemed unwise to land any fresh stores ; indeed, most of 
those already landed, were removed, and hence, when we 



25 

passed under the walls of the fort, the tri-coloiued flag v 
displayed upon their battlements. 

On the high grounds which begirt the town, the white 
tents of the besiegers were, however, discernible, and to 
the left the Portuguese standard was unfurled. But all 
was quietness there. The trenches were empty, except, 
of the ordinary guards ; the batteries were unprovided with 
artillery, and some even in ruins ; the only mark of hostili- 
ty, indeed, which was exhibited on either side, came from 
the town, from which, ever and anon, a single shot was 
fired, as the allied pickets or sentinels relieved one another, 
or a group of officers, more curious than wise, exposed 
themselves unnecessarily to observation. Nevertheless, the 
whole formed a spectacle in the highest degree interest- 
ing and grand, especially to my eyes, to whom such specta- 
cles were new. 

I was gazing with much earnestness upon the scene 
before me, when a shot from the castle drew my attention 
to ourselves, and I found that the enemy were determined 
not to lose the opportunity which the calm afforded, of 
doing as much damage as possible to the ships winch lay 
nearest to them. The ball passed over our deck, and fell 
harmless into the water. The next, however, struck only 
a few feet from our bow, and the third would have been 
perhaps still better directed, had not a light breeze fortu- 
nately sprung up, and carried us on our own course. By 
the help of it we contrived in a few minutes to get beyond 
range ; and the enemy, perceiving his balls falling short, 
soon ceased to waste them. 

By this time we had approached within a short distance 
ef Passages ; and at eight o'clock that wished-for harbour 
came in view. Perhaps there are few ports hi the world 
more striking in every respect than that of Passages. As 
you draw near to it, you run along a bold rocky shore, in 

3 



26 

which no opening appears to exist, nor is it till he ha* 1 
reached the very mouth of the creek, that a stranger is 
inclined to suspect that a harbour is there. The creek 
itself cannot be more than fifty yards wide ; it runs direct- 
ly up between overhanging cliffs, and presents altogether 
the appearance rather of an artificial cut, than of a cut of 
nature's forming. From the bare faces of these cliffs dif- 
ferent kinds of dwarf trees and shrubs grow out in rich 
luxuriance, whilst their summits are crowned with groves 
of lime and cork trees. 

Passing through the creek, we arrived in a spacious basin 
or harbour, on the left of which is built the little town of Pas- 
sages. Here the scene became highly picturesque and beau- 
tiful. The houses, though none of the whitest or most clean 
in external appearance, were striking from the peculiarity of 
their structure ; having balconies projecting from the up- 
per stories, and wooden stair-cases which lead to them 
from without. The absence of glass, too, from most of 
the windows, which were furnished only with wooden lat- 
tices, powerfully impressed upon my mind, that I was no 
longer in happy England. Nor did the general dress and 
appearance of both men and women fail to interest one, 
who beheld them now for the first time. The men, with 
their broad hats, swarthy visages, mustachoed lips, red, 
blue or yellow sleeved waistcoats ; their brown breeches, 
stockings, and shoes with coloured ties ; their scarlet 
sashes tied round the waist, and brown jacket slung over 
one shoulder, formed a remarkable contrast with the smock- 
frocked peasantry whom I had left behind. With the dress 
of the women, again, I was not so much struck, because I 
had seen dresses not dissimilar in Scotland. They wear, 
for the most part, brown or scarlet petticoats, with a hand- 
kerchief tied round the neck and bosom, so as to form a 
sort of stomacher. Their waists are long, and the head 



and feet bare ; their hair, being permitted sometimes to 
hang over their back in ringlets ; whilst sometimes it is 
gathered up into a knot. But the expressive countenances 
of these females, their fine dark laughing eye, their white 
teeth and brunette complexion, are extremely pleasing. 

To complete the picture, the back-ground behind Pas- 
sages is on all hands beautifully romantic. Hills rise, one 
above another, to a very considerable height, all of them 
covered with rich herbage, and the most ample foliage ; 
whilst far away in the distance are seen the tops of those 
stupendous mountains which form a barrier, and no imagi- 
nary barrier, between France and Spain. 

Though we entered the harbour as early as nine o'clock 
in the morning, and were ready for disembarkation in ten 
minutes after, that event so ardently desired and so long- 
deferred, occurred not until a late hour in the evening. 
Soldiers are, as every person knows, mere machines ; they 
cannot think for themselves or act for themselves in any 
point of duty ; and as no orders had been left here respect- 
ing us, no movement could be made, till intelligence had 
been sent to the general commanding the nearest division, 
of our arrival. This having been effected, we were forth- 
with commanded to come on shore ; and all the boats in 
the harbour, as well those belonging to the vessels lying 
there, as to the native fishermen, were put in requisition to 
transport us. In spite of every exertion, however, dark- 
ness had set in ere the last division reached the land ; and 
hence we were unable to do more than march to a little 
wooded eminence about a couple of miles from the town, 
where we bivouacked. 

This was the first night of my life which I had ever 
spent in so warlike a fashion ; and I perfectly recollect, 
to this hour, the impression which it made upon me. It 
was one of the most exquisite delight. The season 



28 

chanced to be uncommonly mild ; not a breath of air was 
stirring ; everything around me smelt sweet and refreshing 
after a long imprisonment on board of ship ; above all, I 
felt that soldiering was no longer an amusement. Not 
that there was any peril attending our situation, for we were 
at least ten miles from the garrison of St. Sebastian's, and 
perhaps twenty from the army of Marshal Soult ; but the 
very circumstance of being called upon to sleep under the 
canopy of heaven, the wrapping myself up in my cloak, 
with my sabre hanging on the branch of a tree over my 
head, and my dog couching down at my heels,-— these 
things alone were sufficient to assure me, that my military 
career had actually begun. 

When I looked around me again, I saw arms piled up, 
and glittering in the light of twenty fires, which were 
speedily kindled, and cast a bright glare through the over- 
hanging foliage. I saw men, enveloped in their great- 
coats, stretched or sitting around these fires in wild groups ; 
I heard their merry chat, their hearty and careless laugh ; 
now and then a song or a catch chaunted by one or two, — 
all these things, I recollect, were delightfully exciting. I 
leant my head against a tree, and putting my pipe in my 
mouth, I puffed away in a state of feeling, which any mo- 
narch might envy, and which, in truth, I have never expe- 
rienced since. 

When regiments are employed upon actual service, every- 
thing like a general mess is laid aside. The officers then 
divide themselves into small coteries of two, three or four, 
according as they happen to form mutual friendships, or 
find the arrangement attended with convenience. I was 
fortunate enough to have contracted an intimacy with one 
of my comrades, whose memory I have never ceased to 
cherish with the fondest affection, and whose good qualities 
deserve that his memory should be cherished with affectioitj 



29 

as long as the power of thinking and reflecting remains by 
me. He is now at peace, and lies beside two others of 
his companions in arms, at the bottom of a garden. But 
let that pass for the present. My friend was an old cam- 
paigner. He had served during the greater part of the Pe- 
ninsular war, and was therefore perfectly acquainted with 
the course which soldiers ought to pursue, if they desire to 
keep their health, and to do their duty effectually. At his 
suggestion I had brought with me a fowling-piece ; he too 
brought his ; between us we mustered a couple of grey- 
hounds, a pointer and a spaniel ; and we were indifferently 
furnished with fishing rods, and tackle. By the help of 
these we calculated on being able, at times, to add some- 
thing to the fare allowed us in the way of rations ; and the 
event proved that our calculations had not been formed 
upon mistaken grounds. 

With him I spent the greater part of this night in chat- 
ting, sometimes of days gone by, and sometimes of the 
probabilities of the future. Though several years older 
than myself, Graham had lost none of the enthusiasm of 
the boy, and he was a perfect enthusiast in his profession. 
He described to me other scenes in which he had taken 
part, other bivouacks in which he had shared ; and effectual- 
ly hindered me from losing any portion of that military ex- 
citement with which I first sat down. But, at length, our 
eyelids began to grow heavy in spite of all the whispers of 
romance, and every one around us was fast asleep. We 
accordingly trimmed our fire to keep it burning till after 
daybreak ; and, having drank our allowance of grog to the 
health of our friends and relations at home, we wrapped 
our cloaks about us, and lay down. In ten minutes I was 
in the land of forgetfulness. 

3* 



s 



CHAPTER 111 



Day had fully dawned, when the general stir of the 
troops around me put an end to my repose. I opened my 
eyes, and remained for half a minute perfectly at a loss to 
conceive where I was, so new and so splendid was the 
prospect which met them. We had bivouacked upon a 
well-wooded eminence, standing, as it were, in the very 
centre of an amphitheatre of mountains. Behind us lay 
the beautiful little Bay of Passages, tranquil and almost 
motionless, under the influence of a calm morning, though 
rendered more than usually gay by the ships and boats 
which covered its surface. In front, and to the right and 
left, rose at some little distance off, hill above Mil, not rug 
ged and barren, like those among which we afterward:- 
took up our abode, but shaggy, with the richest and most 
luxuriant groves of plane, birch, and mountain-ash. Im- 
mediately beneath was a small glen, covered partly with 
the stubble of last year's barley, and still loaded with an 
abundant crop of unreaped Indian corn ; whilst a little to 
the rear from the spot where I had slept, stood a neat farm- 
house, having its walls hidden by the spreading branches 
of vines, and studded with clusters of grapes approaching 
rapidly to perfection. In a word, it was a scene to which 
the pencil might perhaps do justice, but which defies all 
the powers of language adequately to describe. 

I arose in the same enthusiastic tone of mind with which 
I had gone to sleep, and assigned myself wil-lingly to the 
task of erecting huts for our own accommodation and that 
of the men, no tents having, as yet, been issued out to us. 
This was speedily effected ; large bow-stakes were fitted 



31 

and driven into the earth, between which were twisted thin- 
ner and more leafy branches by way of walls, and these 
being covered with twigs so closely wedged as to prove 
impervious to any passing shower, formed a species of 
domicile not perhaps very commodious, but extremely ha- 
bitable. Such was our occupation during the hours of 
light, and at night the corps lay down comfortably sheltered 
against dews and damps. 

The following day was spent chiefly in purchasing horses 
and mules, which were brought in great abundance by the 
country people to the camp. For these, we of course 
paid considerably more than their full value ; but it was 
essentially necessary to procure them without delay, as we 
were in hourly expectation of a move. Nearly a week 
elapsed, however, and we still remained in the same situa- 
tion ; nor was it till the evening of the 27th that the long- 
expected route arrived. 

In the meanwhile, I had not been idle, nor had I confined 
myself with any strictness within the bounds of the camp. 
Much of my time was spent in seeking for game of vari- 
ous kinds among the stupendous cliffs around, a quest in 
which I was not always unsuccessful. On other occasions, 
1 mounted my newly-purchased horse, and rode about to 
different points which promised to afford the most extensive 
prospect of the glorious scenery of the Lower Pyrenees ; 
nor was the camp before St. Sebastian's neglected ; to it 
I paid repeated visits, and perhaps I cannot do better, in 
this stage of my narrative, than give some account of the 
.state in which I found it. 

In a former Chapter I stated that St. Sebastian's occu- 
pies a neck of land which juts into the sea, being washed 
on two sides by the waters of the Bay of Biscay, and on a 
third by the River Gurumea. This stream, though insuffi- 
cient in respect of width, cannot be forded, at least near 



32 

the town, except at the time of low tide ; it therefore adds 
not a little to the general strength of the place. But the 
strength of the place consists far more in the great regu- 
larity and solidity of its fortifications, than in its natural 
situation. Across the isthmus, from the river to the bay, 
is erected a chain of stupendous masonry, consisting of 
several bastions and towers, connected by a well-sheltered 
curtain, and covered by a ditch and glacis, whilst the castle, 
built upon an high hill, completely commands the whole, 
and seems to hold the town, and every thing in it, entirely 
at its mercy. 

The scenery around St. Sebastian's is, in the highest de- 
gree, interesting and fine. As has been already mentioned, 
the ground, beginning to rise on all sides about a mile and 
a half from the glacis, is soon broken into hill and valley, 
mountain and ravine. Numerous orchards are, moreover, 
planted upon the lowest of these heights, with here and 
there a vineyard, a chateau, and a farm-house ; whilst far 
off, in the back-ground, one sees the rugged tops of the 
Quatracrone, and the other gigantic mountains which over- 
hang the Bidaossa, and divide Spain from France. 

The tents of the besiegers were placed upon the lower 
range of hills, about two miles and a half distant from the 
town. Of course, they were so pitched as that they 
should be, as far as possible, hidden from the enemy, and 
for this purpose the uneven nature of the country happily 
sufficed. They stood, for the most part, among the or- 
chards just alluded to, and in the valleys and ravines with 
which the place abounded. Leading from them to the first 
parallel, were cut various covered ways, that is, roads sunk 
in the ground so far as that troops might march along with- 
out exposing themselves to the fire of the enemy ; and the 
parallel itself was drawn almost upon the brow of the 
ridge. Here, or rather in the ruined Convent of St. Ber- 



33 

tholome, was established the principal magazine of pow- 
der, shot, working-tools, and other necessaries for the 
siege, and here, as a matter of course, the reserve, or main 
l>ody of the piquet-guard, was stationed. 

The first parallel extended some way beyond the town, 
on both sides, and was connected with the second, as that 
again was with the third, by other covered ways, cut in an 
oblique direction towards the enemy's works, but no sap 
had been attempted. The third parallel, therefore, com- 
pleted the works of the besiegers, and it was carried within 
a few hundred yards of the foot of the rampart. In each 
of these batteries were built, as well as on the brows of all 
I he surrounding heights, but as yet they were masked by 
slight screens of sand and turf, though the guns were 
placed once more in many of them, and the rest were ra- 
pidly filling. 

There is no species of duty in which a soldier is liable 
to be employed so galling, or so disagreeable, as a siege ; 
not that it is deficient in causes of excitement, which, on 
the contrary, are in hourly operation ; but it ties him so 
completely down to one spot, and breaks in so repeatedly 
upon his hours of rest, and exposes him so constantly to 
danger, and that too at times and in places where no ho- 
nour is to be gained, that we cannot greatly wonder at the 
feelings of absolute hatred which generally prevail, among 
the privates, at least of a besieging army, against the gar- 
rision which does its duty to its country, by holding out to 
the last extremity. On the present occasion, I found much 
of that tone of mind among the various brigades which 
lay before St. Sebastian's. They could not forgive the 
French garrison, which had now kept them during six 
weeks at bay, and they burned with anxiety to wipe off the 
disgrace of a former repulse ; there was, therefore, little 



34 

mention made of quarter, whenever the approaching as- 
sault chanced to be alluded to. 

The governor of St. Sebastian's was evidently a man of 
great energy of mind, and of very considerable military 
talent. Everything which could be done to retard the 
progress of the siege, he had attempted ; the breach which 
had been effected previous to the first assault, was now al- 
most entirely filled up, whilst many new works were erect- 
ed, and what was not, perhaps, in strict accordance with the 
rules of modern warfare — they were erected by British 
prisoners. We could distinctly see these poor fellows la- 
bouring at their task in full regimentals, and the conse- 
quence was, that they were permitted to labour on, with- 
out a single gun being turned against them. Nor was this 
all that was done to annoy the assailants — night after night, 
pette sorties were made, with no other apparent design 
than to disturb the repose, and to harrass the spirits, of the 
besiegers ; for the attacking party seldom attempted to ad- 
vance farther than the first parallel, and it was uniformly 
beaten back by the piquets and reserve. 

During the last ten days, the besieging army had been 
busily employed in bringing up ammunition, and in drag- 
ging into battery one of the most splendid trains of heavy 
ordnance which a British general has ever had at his com- 
mand. On the evening of the 26th, these matters were 
completed ; no fewer than sixty pieces of artillery, some of ' 
them sixty-four, and none of lighter metal than eighteen- 
pounders, were mounted against the town, whilst twenty 
mortars of different calibre prepared to scatter death among 
its defenders, and bid fair to reduce the place itself to a 
heap of ruins. 

These arrangements being completed, it was deemed 
prudent, previous to the opening of the batteries, to de* 
prive the enemy of a little redoubt which stood upon m\ 



island in the harbour, and in some degree enfiladed the 
trenches. For this service a detachment, consisting of an 
hundred men, a captain, and two subalterns, were allotted, 
who, filing from the camp soon after night-fall, embarked 
in the boats of the cruizers ; here they were joined by a 
few seamen and marines, under the command of a naval 
efficer, and having made good their landing under cover of 
darkness, they advanced briskly to the assault. The ene- 
my were taken completely by surprise — only a few shots 
were fired on either side, and in the space of five minutes, 
the small fort, mounting four guns, with an officer and 
thirty men as its garrison, surrendered, or rather were taken 
possession of by the assailants. 

So trifling, indeed, was the resistance offered by the 
French garrison, that it disturbed not the slumbers of the 
troops in camp. The night of the 26th, accordingly, 
passed by in quiet, but as soon as the morning of the 27th 
dawned, affairs assumed a very different appearance. 
Soon after daybreak, a single shell was thrown from the 
heights on the right of the town, as a signal for the bat- 
teries to open, and then a most tremendous cannonade 
began. The first salvo, indeed, was one of the finest 
things of the kind I ever witnessed. Without taking the 
trouble to remove the slight covering of sand and turf 
which masked the batteries, the artillerymen, laying their 
guns by such observation as small apertures left for the 
purpose enabled them to effect, fired upon the given signal, 
and thus caused the guns to clear a way for themselves in 
their future discharges, nor were these tardy in occurring. 
So rapid, indeed, were the gunners in their movements, 
and so unintermitting the fire which they kept up from 
morning till night, during the whole of the 27th, the 28th, 
the 29th, and 30th, that by sun-set on the latter day, not 
only was the old breach reduced to its former dilapidated 



36 

condition, but a new, and a far more promising breach was 
effected. 

In the meantime, however, the enemy had not been 
remiss in their endeavours to silence the fire of the be- 
siegers, and to dismount their guns. They had, indeed, 
exercised their artillery with so much good will, that most 
of the cannon found in the place, after its capture, were 
unserviceable ; being melted at the touch-holes, or other- 
wise damaged from too frequent use. But they fought, on 
the present occasion, under every imaginable disadvan- 
tage ; for, not only was our artillery much more than a 
match for theirs, but our advanced trenches were lined 
with troops, who kept up an incessant and deadly fire of 
musketry upon the embrasures. The consequence was, 
that the fire from the town became every hour more and 
more intermitted, till, long before mid-day, on the 28th, 
the garrison attempted no further resistance, than by the 
occasional discharge of a mortar from beneath the ram- 
parts. 

I have said, that, by sun-set on the 29th, the outer 
breach was reduced to its former dilapidated state, and a 
new and a more promising one effected. It will be necessa- 
ry to describe, with greater accuracy than I have yet done, 
the situation and actual state of these breaches. 

The point selected by Sir Thomas Graham as most ex- 
posed, and offering the best mark to his breaching artillery, 
was that side of the town which looked towards the river. 
Here there was no ditch, nor any glacis, the waters of the 
Gurumea flowing so close to the foot of the wall, as to ren- 
der the one useless, and the other impracticable. The 
rampart itself was consequently bare to the fire of our bat- 
teries, and as it rose to a considerable height, perhaps 
twenty or thirty feet above the plain, there was every pro- 
bability of its soon giving way to the shots of the battering 



37 

guns. But the consistency of that wall is hardly to be 
imagined by those who have never beheld it. It seemed, 
indeed, as if it were formed of one solid rock, and hence, 
the breach, which, to the eye of one who examined it only 
from without, appeared at once capacious and easy of as- 
cent, proved, when attacked, to be no more than a partial 
dilapidation of the exterior face of the masonry. Nor was 
this all. The rampart gave way, not in numerous small 
fragments, such as might afford a safe and easy footing to 
those who were to ascend, but in huge masses, which, roll- 
ing down like craigs from the face of a precipice, served 
to impede the advance of the column, almost as effectually 
as' if they had not fallen at all. The two breaches were 
about a stone's-throw apart, the one from the other. Both 
were commanded by the guns of the castle, and both were 
flanked by projections in the town wall. Yet such was the 
path by which our troops must proceed, if any attempt 
should be made to carry the place by assault. 

That this attempt would be made, and that it certainly 
would be made on the morrow, every man in the camp was 
perfectly aware. The tide promised to answer about noon ; 
and noon was accordingly fixed upon as the time of attack, 
and the question, therefore, was, who by the morrow's noon 
would be alive, and who would not. Whilst this surmise 
very naturally occupied the minds of the troops in general, 
a few more daring spirits were at work, devising means for 
furthering the intended assault, and securing its success. 
Conspicuous among these was Major Snodgrass, an officer 
belonging to the 52d British regiment, but who command- 
ed on the present occasion, a battalion of Portuguese. Up 
to the present night, only one ford, and that at some little 
distance from both breaches, had been discovered. By 
examining the stream, as minutely as it could be examined 
by a telescope, and from a distance, Major Snodgrass had 

4 



38 

conceived the idea, that there must be another ford, so far 
above the one already known, as to carry those who should 
cross by it at once to the foot of the smaller breach. 
Though the moon was in her first quarter, and gave a very 
considerable light, he devoted the whole of the night of 
the 29th to a personal trial of the river; and he found it, as 
he expected to find it, fordable at low water, immediately 
opposite to the smaller breach. By this ford he according- 
ly crossed, the water reaching somewhat above his waist. 
Nor was he contented with having ascertained this fact ; 
he clambered up the face of the breach at midnight, gained 
its summit, and looked down upon the town. How he 
contrived to elude the vigilance of the French sentinels I 
know not; but that he did elude them, and that he per- 
formed the gallant act which I have just recorded, is fami- 
liarly known to all who were at the siege of St. Sebastian's. 
So passed the night of the 30th, a night of deep anxiety 
to many, and of high excitement to all ; and many a will 
was made, as soldiers make their wills, before morning. 
About an hour before day, the troops were, as usual, under 
arms — and then the final orders were given for the assault. 
The division was to enter the trenches about ten o'clock, 
in what is called light marching order ; that is, leaving their 
knapsacks, blankets, &c. behind, and carrying with them 
only their arms and ammunition; and the forlorn hope 
was to prepare to move forward, as soon as the tide should 
appear sufficiently low to permit their crossing the river. 
This post was assigned to certain detachments of volun- 
teers, who had come down from the various divisions of 
the main army, for the purpose of assisting in the as- 
sault of the place. These were to be followed by the 1st, 
or royal regiment of foot ; that by the 4th ; that by the 
9th, and it again by the 47th; whilst several corps of Por- 
tuguese were to remain behind as a reserve, and to act as 



39 

circumstances should require, for the support or cover of 
the assailing brigades. Such were the orders issued at 
day-break on the 30th of August, and these orders, all who 
heard them cheerfully prepared to obey. 

It is a curious fact, but it is a fact, that the morning of 
the 31st rose darkly and gloomily, as if the elements them- 
selves had been aware of the approaching conflict, and 
were determined to add to its awfulness by their disorder. 
A close and oppressive heat pervaded the atmosphere, 
whilst lowering and sulphureous clouds covered the face of 
the sky, and hindered the sun from darting upon us one 
intervening ray, from morning till night. A sort of preter- 
natural stillness, too, was in the air; the birds were silent 
in the groves ; the very dogs and "horses in the camp, and 
cattle besides, gazed in apparent alarm about them. As 
the day passed on, and the hour of attack drew near, the 
clouds gradually collected into one black mass, directly 
over the devoted city ; and almost at the instant when our 
troops began to march into the trenches, the storm burst 
forth. Still, it was comparatively mild in its effects. An 
occasional flash of lightning, succeeded by a burst of thun- 
der, was all of it which we felt, though this was enough to 
divert our attention. 

The forlorn hope took its station at the mouth of the 
most advanced trench, about half-past ten o'clock. The 
tide, which had long turned, was now fast ebbing, and these 
gallant fellows beheld its departure with a degree of fever- 
ish anxiety, such as he only can imagine, who has stood in 
a similar situation. This was the first time that a town 
was stormed by daylight since the commencement of the 
war, and the storming party were enabled distinctly to per- 
ceive the preparations which were making for their recep- 
tion. There was, therefore, something, not only interest- 
's? but novel, in beholding the muzzles of the enemy's 



40 

camion, from the castle and other batteries, turned in such 
a direction as to flank the breaches ; whilst the glancing of 
bayonets, and the occasional rise of caps and feathers, gave 
notice of the line of infantry which was forming underneath 
the parapet. There an officer could, from time to time, 
be distinguished, leaning his telescope over the top of the 
rampart, or through the opening of an embrasure, prying 
with deep attention into our arrangements. 

Nor were our own officers, particularly those of the en- 
gineers, idle. With the greatest coolness they exposed 
themselves to a dropping fire of musketry which the enemy 
at intervals kept up, whilst they examined and re-examined 
the state of the breaches — a procedure which cost the life 
of as brave and experienced a soldier as that distinguished 
corps has produced. I allude to Sir Richard Fletcher, 
chief engineer to the army, who was shot through the head 
only a few minutes before the column advanced to the 
assault. 

It would be difficult to convey to the mind of an ordi- 
nary reader anything like a correct notion of the state of 
feeling which takes possession of a man waiting for the 
commencement of a battle. In the first place, time ap- 
pears to move upon leaden wings ; every minute seems an 
hour, and every hour a day. Then there is a' strange com- 
mingling of levity and seriousness within him — a levity 
which prompts him to laugh, he scarce knows why ; and a 
seriousness which urges him ever and anon to lift up a 
mental prayer to the Throne of Grace. On such occa- 
sions, little or no conversation passes. The privates ge- 
nerally lean upon their firelocks — the officers upon their 
swords ; and few words, except monosyllables, at least in 
answer to questions put, are wasted. On these occasions, 
too, the faces of the bravest often change colour, and the 
limbs of the most resolute tremble, not with fear, but with 



41 

anxiety; whilst watches are consulted, till the individuals 
who consult them grow absolutely weary of the employ- 
ment. On the whole, it is a situation of higher excite- 
ment, and darker and deeper agitation, than any other in 
human life ; nor can he be said to have felt all which man 
is capable of feeling who has not filled it. 

Noon had barely passed, when the low state of the tide 
giving evidence that the river might be forded, the word was 
given to advance. Silent as the grave, the column moved 
forward. In one instant the leading files had cleared the 
trenches, and the others poured on in quick succession 
after them, when the work of death began. The enemy 
having reserved their fire till the head of the column had 
gained the middle of the stream, then opened with the 
most deadly effect. Grape, cannister, musketry, shells, 
granades, and every species of missile, were hurled from 
the ramparts, beneath winch our gallant fellows dropped 
like corn before the reaper ; insomuch, that in the space of 
two minutes, the river was literally choaked up with the 
bodies of the killed and wounded, over whom, without dis- 
crimination, the advancing divisions pressed on. 

The opposite bank was soon gained, and the short space 
between the landing-place and the foot of the breach 
rapidly cleared, without a single shot having been returned 
by the assailants. But here the most alarming prospect 
awaited them. Instead of a wide and tolerably level 
chasm, the breach presented the appearance only of an ill- 
built wall, thrown considerably from its perpendicular ; to 
ascend which, even though unopposed, would be no easy 
task. It was, however, too late to pause; besides, men's 
blood was hot, and their courage on fire ; so they pressed 
on, clambering up as they best could, and effectually hin- 
dering one another from falling back, by the eagerness of 
the rear-ranks to follow those in front. Shouts and groans 

4* 



42 

were now mingled with the roar of cannons and the rattle 
of musketry ; our front-ranks likewise had an opportunity 
of occasionally firing with effect ; and the slaughter on 
both sides was dreadful. 

At length the head of the column forced its way to the 
summit of the breach ; where it was met in the most gallant 
style by the bayonets of the garrison. When I say the 
summit of the breach, I mean not to assert that our sol- 
diers stood upon a level with their enemies ; for this was 
not the case. There was an high step, perhaps two or 
three feet in length, which the assailants must surmount be- 
fore they could gain the same ground with the defenders, 
and a very considerable period elapsed ere that step was 
surmounted. Here bayonet met bayonet, and sabre met 
sabre, in close and desperate strifes without the one party 
being able to advance, or the other succeeding in driving 
them back. 

Things had continued in this state for nearly a quarter 
of an hour, when Major Snodgrass, at the head of the 
13th Portuguese regiment, dashed across the river by his 
own ford, and assaulted the lesser breach. This attack 
was made in the most cool and determined manner ; but 
here, too, the obstacles were almost insurmountable ; nor 
is it probable that the place would have been carried at all, 
but for a measure adopted by General Graham, such as has 
never perhaps been adopted before. Perceiving that mat- 
ters were almost desperate, he had recourse to a desperate 
remedy, and ordered our own artillery to fire upon the 
breach. Nothing could be more exact or beautiful than 
this practice. Though our men stood only about two feet 
below the breach, scarcely a single ball from the guns of 
our batteries struck amongst them, whilst all told with fear- 
ful exactness among the enemy. 



43 

This fire had been kept up only a very few minutes, when 
ii 11 at once an explosion took place, such as drowned every 
other noise, and apparently confounded, for an instant, the 
combatants on both sides. A shell from one of our mor- 
tars had exploded near the train, which communicated with 
a quantity of gunpowder, placed under the breach. This 
mine the French had intended to spring as soon as our 
troops should have made good their footing, or establish- 
ed themselves on the summit ; but the fortunate accident 
just mentioned, anticipated them. It exploded whilst 
three hundred grenadiers, the elite of the garrison, stood 
over it, and instead of sweeping the storming party 
into eternity, it only cleared a way for their advance. It 
was a spectacle as appalling and grand as the imagination 
can conceive the sight of that explosion. The noise was 
more awful than any which I have ever heard before or 
since ; whilst a bright flash, instantly succeeded by a smoke 
so dense, as to obscure all vision, produced an effect upon 
those who witnessed it, such as no powers of language are 
adequate to describe. Such, indeed, was the effect of the 
whole occurrence, that for perhaps half a minute after, not 
a shot was fired on either side. Both parties stood still to 
gaze upon the havoc which had been produced ; insomuch, 
that a whisper might have caught your ear for a distance of 
several yards. 

The state of stupefaction into which they were at first 
thrown, did not, however, last long with the British troops. 
As the smoke and dust of the ruins cleared away, they 
beheld before them a space empty of defenders, and they 
instantly rushed forward to occupy it. Uttering an appal- 
ling shout, the troops sprung over the dilapidated parapet, 
and the rampart was their own. Now then began all those 
maddening scenes, which are witnessed only in a success- 
ful storm, of flight, and slaughter, and parties rallying only 



44 

to be broken and dispersed ; till, finally, having cleared 
the works to the right and left, the soldiers poured down 
into the town. 

To reach the streets, they were obliged to leap about 
fifteen feet, or to make their way through the burning 
houses which joined the wall. Both courses were adopted, 
according as different parties were guided in their pursuit of 
the flying enemy, and here again the battle was renewed. 
The French fought with desperate courage; they were 
literally driven from house to house, and street to street, 
nor was it till a late hour in the evening that all opposition 
on their part ceased. Then, however, the governor, with 
little more than a thousand men, retired into the castle ; 
whilst another detachment, of perhaps two hundred, shut 
themselves up in a convent. 

As soon as the fighting began to wax faint, the horrors 
of plunder and rapine succeeded. Fortunately, there 
were few females in the place; but of the fate of the 
few which were there, I cannot even now think without a 
shudder. The houses were every where ransacked, the 
furniture wantonly broken, the churches profaned, the ima- 
ges dashed to pieces ; wine and spirit cellars were broken 
open, and the troops, heated already with angry passions, 
became absolutely mad by intoxication. All- order and 
discipline were abandoned. The officers had no longer 
the slightest control over their men, who, on the contrary, 
controlled the officers ; nor is it by any means certain, that 
several of the latter did not fall by the hands of the former, 
when they vainly attempted to bring them back to a sense 
of subordination. 

Night had now set in, but the darkness was effectually 
dispelled by the glare from burning houses, which, one 
after another, took fire. The morning of the 31st had 
risen upon St. Sebastian's, as neat and regularly built a 



45 

town as any in Spain ; long before midnight, it was one 
sheet of flame ; and by noon on the following day, little 
remained of it, except its smoaking ashes. The houses, 
being lofty like those in the old town of Edinburgh, and the 
streets straight and narrow, the fire flew from one to 
another with extraordinary rapidity. At first, some at- 
tempts were made to extinguish it ; but these soon proved 
useless, and then the only matter to be considered, was, 
how personally to escape its violence. Many a migration 
was accordingly effected from house to house, till, at last, 
houses enough to shelter all could no longer be found, and 
the streets became the place of rest to the majority. 

The spectacle which then presented was truly shocking. 
A strong light falling upon them from the burning houses, 
disclosed crowds of dead, dying, and intoxicated men, 
huddled indiscriminately together. Carpets, rich tapestry, 
beds, curtains, wearing apparel, and everything valuable to 
persons in common life, were carelessly scattered about 
upon the bloody pavement, whilst ever and anon fresh bun- 
dles of these were thrown from the windows above. Here 
you would see a drunken fellow whirling a string of watches 
rouftd his head, and then dashing them against the wall ; 
there another more provident, stuffing his bosom with such 
smaller articles as he most prized. Next would come a 
party rolling a cask of wine or spirits before them, with 
loud acclamations ; which in an instant was tapped, and in 
an incredibly short space of time emptied of its contents. 
Then the ceaseless hum of conversation, the occasional 
laugh, and wild shout of intoxication, the pitiable cries, or 
deep moans of the wounded, and the unintermitted roar of 
the flames, produced altogether such a concert, as no man 
who listened to it can ever forget. 

Of these various noises, the greater number now began 
to subside, as night passed on ; and long before dawn therq 



46 

was a fearful silence. Sleep had succeeded inebriety with 
the bulk of the army, — of the poor wretches who groaned 
and shrieked three hours ago, many had expired ; and the 
very fire had almost wasted itself by consuming everything 
upon which it could feed. Nothing, therefore, could now 
be heard, except an occasional faint moan, scarcely distin- 
guishable from the heavy breathing of the sleepers ; and 
even that was soon heard no more. 



CHAPTER IT. 

Ln order not to interrupt the connection of my narrative, 
L have detailed, in the preceding chapter, the events attend- 
ant upon the assault and capture of St. Sebastian's, in- 
stead of drawing the reader's attention to the movements 
of the particular corps to which I chanced to be attached. 
These, however, are soon related. On the evening of the 
26th, an order arrived, by which we were directed to 
march on the following morning, and to join that division 
of the army which occupied the pass of Irun. This order 
was promptly obeyed; and, after an agreeable journey of 
four hours, we took up our abode in a barren valley, sur- 
rounded on every side by steep and rugged mountains : 
where we found huts already erected for our accommoda- 
tion. 

We remained here in a state of quiet till the morning of 
the 30th, when, at three o'clock, an aid-de-camp arrived in 
the camp, with directions for us instantly to retrace our 
steps, and to join the army before St. Sebastian's. We 
were perfectly aware that the town was to be stormed on 
the following day, and, of course, were not reluctant to 
obey a command, which led us to the assistance of our 
comrades. The ranks were immediately formed, and by 
seven o'clock we had reached our ground. 

It was the design of Sir Thomas Graham to embark a 
body of troops in the boats of the fleet, who should assault 
the castle at the moment when the main body moved from 
the trenches. The corps to which I belonged was select- 
ed for this purpose. But, on reconnoitering the face of 
the cliff, it was at once perceived, that, to make any at- 



48 

tempt of the kind, would only devote to certain destruction 
the luckless detachment which should be so employed. 
This part of the plan was accordingly abandoned, and a 
few boats only being manned, for the purpose of making a 
feint, and for, if possible, causing a diversion, the remain- 
der, with the exception of such as were chosen to accom- 
pany the storming party, returned, by the morrow's dawn, 
to the front. 

I have already stated, that the morning of the 31st rose 
darkly and gloomily, and that just as the besiegers had 
begun to fill the trenches, a storm burst forth. This went 
on increasing every minute ; so that, at the moment when 
our leading files emerged from their cover, one of the 
most fearful thunder storms to which I ever listened had 
attained its height. Nor was this the only circumstance 
which added to the terrors of that eventful day. Marshal 
Soult, aware of the importance of St. Sebastian's, and 
full of that confidence which a late appointment to com- 
mand generally bestows, made, on the 31st, a desperate 
effort to raise the siege. At the head of a column of fif- 
teen thousand infantry, he crossed the Bidaossa near Irun, 
and attacked, with great spirit, the heights of St. Marcial. 
These were defended only by Spanish troops, which gave 
way almost immediately, and were driven to the tops of the 
hills; but here, being joined by one or two brigades of 
British soldiers, they rallied, and maintained their ground 
with considerable resolution. By this means, it so hap- 
pened, that whilst one division of the army was hotly en- 
gaged in the assault of St. Sebastian's, the divisions in 
front were in desperate strife with the troops of Marshal 
Soult, whilst the heavens thundered in an awful manner, 
and the rain fell in torrents. In one word, it was a day 
never to be forgotten by those who witnessed its occur- 
rence ; it was a day which I, at least, shall never forget. 



49 

It is impossible to describe, with any degree of fidelity, 
the appearance which St. Sebastian's presented, when the 
dawn of the 1st of September rendered objects visible. 
The streets, which had lately been covered with the living 
as well as the dead, were now left to the occupation of the 
latter ; and these were so numerous, that it puzzled the 
beholder to guess where so may sleeping men could have 
found room to lie. The troops, however, returned not, 
with the return of light, to their accustomed state of disci- 
pline. Their strength being recruited by sleep, and their 
senses restored, they applied themselves, with greater dili- 
gence than ever, to the business of plunder. Of the 
houses, few now remained, except in a state of ruin ; but 
even the ruins were explored with the most rapacious eager- 
ness, not so much for jewels and other valuables, as for 
wine and spirits. Unfortunately, many cellars were this 
day discovered, which, in the hurry and confusion of last 
night, had escaped detection, and the consequence was, 
that, in the space of a very few hours, intoxication pre- 
vailed throughout the army. Then, too, such buildings 
as had escaped the flames of yesterday, were wantonly set 
on fire ; and every species of enormity, which circum- 
stances could admit of, was perpetrated. 

Of St. Sebastian's, and the proceedings within it, I can 
say no more from personal observation, my post being 
now with the advance of the army ; but I may as well add, 
that the castle still held out, and continued to hold out, till 
the 3d of September. It was, however, as we afterwards 
discovered, wholly unprovided with shelter against the 
shells which were unintermittingly thrown into it ; and 
hence, after suffering every possible misery during three 
whole days, the governor was at last obliged to surrender. 
About nine hundred men, the remains of a garrison of four 
thousand, became, by this measure, prisoners of war ; and 

5 



50 

such British prisoners as had escaped the horror of the 
siege, were recaptured ; but the place itself was utterly 
valueless, being in a state of the most complete dilapi- 
dation. 

The whole of the 1st of September was spent under 
arms, and in a state of deep anxiety, by the troops which 
occupied the pass of Irun, inasmuch as various movements 
in the French lines appeared to indicate a renewal of hos- 
tilities. Many bullock-cars, loaded with wounded Spa- 
niards, passed, in the meanwhile, through our encamp- 
ment ; and the groans and shrieks of these poor fellows, as 
the jolting of then* uneasy vehicles shook their wounds open 
afresh, by no means tended to elevate the spirits or add 
to the courage of those who heard them. Not that there 
was any reluctance on our part to engage. I believe a 
reluctance to fight was never felt by Britons, when the 
enemy were in sight. But a view of the real effects of 
war, contemplated in a moment of coolness and inaction, 
seldom has the effect of adding fuel to the valorous fire 
which is supposed, at all moments, to burn in the breast 
of a soldier. And, in truth, this was a piteous sight. 

Of all the classes of men with whom I ever had inter- 
course, the Spanish surgeons are, I think, the most igno- 
rant and the most prejudiced. Among the many ampu- 
tations which, during the war, they were called upon ^to 
perform, about one-half, or more than half, proved fatal. 
Their mode of dressing other wounds was, moreover, at 
once clumsy and inefficient ; and hence the mangled 
wretches who passed us this morning, were not only suf- 
fering acutely, from the natural effect of their hurts, but 
were put to more than ordinary torture, on account of the 
clumsy and rude manner in which their hurts had been 
looked to. 

Though I have no intention of writing a regular memoir- 



51 

of the campaigns of 1813 and 1814, it is necessary, for 
the purpose of rendering my journal intelligible, to give, 
in this stage of it, some account of the relative situations 
of the British and French armies. 

The two kingdoms of France and Spain are divided, 
towards the shores of the Bay of Biscay, by the river 
Bidaossa ; an inconsiderable stream, which, rising about 
the centre of the Peninsula, follows the winding course of 
one of those many valleys with which the Pyrenees abound, 
and falls into the sea near the ancient town of Font- Ara- 
bia. The Bidaossa is perfectly fordable in almost all 
places, at the distance often miles from its mouth ; whilst 
Immediately opposite to Font-Arabia itself, there is one 
part, where, at low tide, a passage may be effected, the 
water reaching only to the chest of him who crosses. 
About two or three miles from Irun, which is distant some- 
thing less than a league from Font- Arabia, is another ford, 
across which a bridge had been built, but which, at the 
period of my narrative, was in ruins ; consequently there 
were two separate fords, leading to the pass of Irun, by 
both or either of which an army might advance with safety. 

On either side of this little stream, the mountains, ex- 
cept at the passes of Irun, Roncesvalles, &c. rise so ab- 
ruptly, as to form an almost impassable barrier between 
the one kingdom and the other. The scenery of the 
Bidaossa is, in consequence, romantic and striking in no 
ordinary degree ; for not only are the faces of the hills 
steep and rugged, but they are clothed, here and there, 
with the most luxuriant herbage ; whilst frequent streams 
pour down from the summits, forming, especially after 
rain, cascades exceedingly picturesque, and in some in- 
stances almost sublime. The river itself is clear, and 
rapid in its course ; winding, as all mountain streams wind, 
where rocks ever and anon interpose to impede its pro- 



52 

gress ; and it is not deficient in excellent trout, as I and 
my friend Graham found, to our frequent comfort and 
amusement. 

At the period of which I am now speaking, the armies 
of Lord Wellington and Marshal Soult occupied the oppo- 
site hanks of this little stream. Our piquets were sta- 
tioned on the rise of the Spanish hills ; those of the French 
on the faces of their own mountains ; whilst the advanced 
sentinels were divided only by the river, which measured 
in many places not more than thirty yards across. But 
the French, whatever their faults may be, are a noble 
enemy. The most perfect understanding, consequently, 
prevailed between them and us, by which, not only the 
sentries were free from danger, but the piquets them- 
selves were safe from wanton surprisal ; no attack upon 
an outpost being under any other circumstances thought 
of unless it was meant to be followed up by a general 
engagement. 

For myself, my situation was, as I have already stated, 
in a bleak valley, distant nearly three miles from the river, 
and surrounded on every side by bold and barren preci- 
pices. In such a place, there was little either to interest 
or amuse, for of the French army we could see nothing ; 
and of game, in quest of which I regularly proceeded, there 
was a woful scarcity. There, however, we remained, till 
the morning of the 5th, without any event occurring wor- 
thy of notice, unless a fortunate purchase of two excellent 
milch goats, which I effected, from a Spanish peasant, be 
deemed such. But in that day our position was changed ; 
and the glorious scenery to which the march introduced 
us, far more than compensated for the fatigues occasion- 
ed by it. 

It is by no means the least pleasing circumstance in the 
life of a soldier upon active service, that he never knows* 



53 

when he awakes in the morning, where he is to sleep at 
night. Once set in motion, and, like any other machine, 
he moves, till the power which regulates his movements 
calls a halt ; and wherever that halt may occur, there, for 
the present, is his home. Such a man has not upon his 
mind the shadow of a care ; for the worst bed which he 
can meet with is the turf; and he seldom enjoys a better 
than his cloak or blanket. Give him but a tent — and with 
tents the commander of the forces had lately supplied us — 
and he is in luxury — at least as long as the summer lasts, 
or the weather continues moderate ; nor had we, as yet, 
experienced any, against which our tents furnished not a 
sufficient shelter. 

The sun was just rising on the morning of the 5th of 
September, when our tents were struck, the line of march 
formed, and we advanced towards the base of one of the 
highest hills, which hemmed us in on every side. Alongst 
the face of this mountain was cut a narrow winding path, 
for the accommodation, in all probability, of goatherds, or 
muleteers, who continue to transport articles of luxury and 
clothing into the wildest districts, where human inhabitants 
are to be found. It was, however, so rough and so pre- 
cipitous, as effectually to hinder our men from preserving 
anything like order in their ranks, and thus caused a bat- 
talion, of little more than six hundred bayonets, to cover 
an extent of ground, measuring, from front to rear, not less 
than three quarters of a mile. Of course, the fatigue of 
climbing, loaded, as we were, with arms, ammunition, and 
necessaries, was very great ; and, as the heat of the day 
increased, it became almost intolerable. But we toiled 
on in good spirits, "hoping that each vale or level at which 
we arrived would prove the place of our rest ; and not a 
little delighted with the romantic prospects, which every 
turning in the road placed before us. 

5* 



54 

We had continued this arduous journey during five 
hours, when, on reaching the summit of an isolated green 
hill, at the back of the ridge already described, four 
mounted officers crossed us, one of them riding a little 
ahead of the rest, who, on the contrary, kept together. 
He who rode in front was a thin, well-made man, ap- 
parently of the middle stature, and just passed the prime of 
life. His dress was a plain grey frock, buttoned close to 
the chin ; a cocked hat, covered with oilskin ; grey panta- 
loons, with boots, buckled at the side, and a steel-mounted 
light sabre. Though I knew not who he was, there was a 
brightness in his eye, which bespoke him something more 
than an aid-de-camp, or a general of brigade ; nor was I long- 
left in doubt. There were in the ranks many veterans, who 
had served in the Peninsula during some of the earlier 
campaigns ; these instantly recognized their old leader ; 
and the cry of " Duro, Duro!" the familiar title given by 
the soldiers to the Duke of Wellington, was raised. This 
was followed by reiterated shouts, to which he replied by 
taking off his hat and bowing ; when, after commending 
the appearance of the corps, and chatting for a moment 
with the commanding officer, he advised that a halt should 
take place where we were, and rode on. 

As I had never seen the great Captain of the day before, 
it will readily be imagined that I looked at him on the pre- 
sent occasion with a degree of admiration and respect, such 
as a soldier of seventeen years of age, who doats upon his 
profession, is likely to feel for the man whom he regards 
as its brightest ornament. There was in his general as- 
pect nothing indicative of a life spent in hardships and fa- 
tigues ; nor any expression of care or anxiety in his coun- 
tenance. On the contrary, his cheek, though bronzed 
with frequent exposure to the sun, had on it the ruddy hue 
of health, whilst a smile of satisfaction played about his 



55 

mouth, and told, far more plainly than words could have 
spoken, how perfectly he felt himself at his ease. How 
different is his appearance now ? Of course I felt, as T 
gazed upon him, that an army under his command could 
not be beaten ; and I had frequent opportunities afterwards 
of perceiving, how far such a feeling goes towards prevent- 
ing a defeat. Let troops only place perfect confidence in 
him who leads them, and the sight of him, at the most try- 
ing moment, is worth a fresh brigfde. 

In compliance with the recommendation of Lord Wel- 
lington, the corps halted at the beautiful green hill which it 
had attained ; but two full hours elapsed ere the baggage 
came up. In the meantime, by far the greater number 
amongst us, myself included, threw ourselves down upon 
the grass, and fell fast asleep ; from which we were not 
aroused till the arrival of the tents summoned us to the 
very agreeable occupation of boiling our kettles and pre- 
paring breakfast. This was quickly commenced ; and 
having satisfied the cravings of hunger, we dispelled even 
source of annoyance to which we were subject. 



CHAPTER V. 



I have seldom looked upon scenery more romantic than 
that which surrounded the spot where we were commanded 
to halt. For the last four or five hours, we had been gra- 
dually ascending the mountains, and now found ourselves 
on the top of a green hill, which, when contrasted with the 
bold heights that begirt it, might be deemed a valley, though 
itself many thousand feet above the level of the sea. One 
side of this grassy platform appeared perfectly perpendicu- 
lar. In this direction it was separated from a steep ridge 
by a narrow ravine, so deep and so rugged, that all attempts 
to behold its base were fruitless. On another side, it con- 
nected itself with the Quatracone ; on a third, that by 
which we had advanced, it sloped gradually downwards till 
the view became lost in hanging forests ; whilst behind us, 
only a little green declivity divided it from other similar 
hills, which afforded a comparatively smooth passage to 
the Foundery of St. Antonio. 

It was here that, during the succession of battles which 
Soult had hazarded, about a month before, one division of 
the French army made several daring efforts to break the 
allied line ; and where, in truth, the line was for a time 
completely broken. To this, the appearance of all things 
around bore ample testimony. Not only the ground of our 
encampment, but the whole of the pass, was strewed with 
broken firelocks, pikes, caps, and accoutrements ; whilst 
here and there a mound of brown earth, breaking in upon 
the uniformity of the green sod, marked the spot where 
some ten or twelve brave fellows lay asleep. In the 
course of my wanderings, too, I came upon sundry retired 



57 

corners, where the remains of dead bodies— such remains 
as the wolves and vultures had left — lay still unburied ; 
and these, by the direction in which they were turned to- 
wards one another, led me to conclude, that the contest 
had been desperate, and that the British troops had been 
gradually borne back to the very edge of the precipice. 
That some of them were driven beyond its edge, is indeed 
more than probable ; for, at one place in particular, I re- 
marked a little group of French and English soldiers, lying 
foot to foot close beside it. 

I need not inform my reader, that eagles, vultures, and 
kites, are faithful followers of an army. These were par- 
ticularly abundant here — whether because a more than or- 
dinary supply of food was furnished to them, or that their 
nests were built among the rocks of the Quatracone, I 
know not ; but they wheeled and careered over our heads 
so daringly, as almost to challenge a pursuit. I took my 
gun accordingly, on the morning after our arrival, and 
clambered up the face of the mountain ; but all my efforts 
to get within shot of these wary creatures, proved abortive. 
The fatigue of the excursion was, however, more than 
compensated by the glorious prospect which it opened to 
my gaze ; and which, though it may, perhaps, be equalled, 
cannot, I firmly believe, be surpassed in any quarter of the 
world. 

From the top of the Quatracone the traveller looks down 
not only upon the various scenery which all mountainous 
districts present, but upon the fertile plains of Gascony, the 
waters of the Bay of Biscay, and the level fields of the As- 
turias. The towns of Bayonne, St. Jean de Luz, Font- 
Arabia, Irun, St. Sebastian's, Vittoria, and many others, lie 
beneath, diminished, indeed, into mere specks, but still 
distinguishable ; whilst, southward, forests of pine, and 
groves of cork-trees, rugged precipices, and dark val! 



58 

present a striking contrast to these abodes of man. The 
day on which I scaled the mountains chanced to be par- 
ticularly favourable. There was not a cloud in the sky, 
nor the slightest haze in the atmosphere ; and hence, 
though I failed in obtaining the object in quest of which I 
had quitted the camp, I returned, to it in the evening more 
than usually delighted with the issue of my ramble. 

We remained in this delightful position only two days, 
and on the morning of the 6th of September, once more 
struck our tents. Noon had passed, however, before we 
began to move ; when taking the direction of the Foun- 
dery, we ascended the chain of green hills before us, till 
we had attained an eminence directly over the Bidaossa, 
and consequently within sight of the enemy's camp. Our 
march was by no means an agreeable one. We had 
scarcely left the ground when the rain began to fall in tor- 
rents, and as the baggage travelled more slowly than our- 
selves, we were doomed to wait a full hour upon the side of 
a bleak hill before any shelter against the storm could be 
procured. But such things in the life of a soldier are too 
common to be much esteemed. The baggage arrived at 
last. Our tent was speedily pitched ; our segars lighted ; 
our wine mulled ; our cloaks and blankets spread upon the 
ground ; and ourselves as snug and as light-hearted as men 
could desire to be. 

It is an invariable custom, when armies are in the field, 
for such corps as compose the advanced line to muster un- 
der arms every morning an hour before day-break. On the 
present occasion we formed the advance, a few piquets of 
the Spanish army being the only troops between us and the 
enemy ; consequently we were roused from our comfortable 
lairs, and ordered under arms long before the dawn appear- 
ed. A close column was then formed in which our men 
stood still as long as the darkness lasted ; but when the 



59 

eastern sky began to redden, they were permitted to pile 
their arms, and move about. And, in truth, the extreme 
chilliness which, in these regions in particular, accompanies 
the first approach of daylight, rendered such an indulgence 
extremely acceptable. We could not, however, venture 
far from our arms, because, if an attack should be made at 
all, this was exactly the hour at which we might look for it ; 
but we contrived, at least, to keep our blood in circulation, 
by running round them. 

The approach of day among the Pyrenees, in the month 
of September, is a spectacle which it falls not to the lot of 
every man to witness ; and it is one which can hardly be 
imagined by him who has not beheld it. For some time 
after the grey twilight breaks, you behold around you only 
one huge sea of mist, which, gradually rising, discloses, by 
fits, the peak of some rugged hills, and giving to it the ap- 
pearance of a real island in a real ocean. By and by, the 
mountains become every where distinguishable, looming, 
as a sailor would say, large through the haze ; but the val- 
leys continue long enshrouded, the fogs which hang upon 
them yielding only to the rays of the noonday sun. Along 
a valley immediately beneath our present position, a consi- 
derable column of French infantry made their way, during 
one of the late actions ; and so perfect was the cover 
afforded by the mist, that, though the sun had risen some 
time, they penetrated, wholly unobserved, to the brow of 
the hill. On the present occasion no such attempt was 
made ; but we were kept at our post till the fog had so far 
dispersed as to render objects half way down the gorge dis- 
tinctly visible ; as soon as this occurred, the column was 
dismissed, and we betook ourselves each to his favourite 
employment. 

For myself, my constant occupation, whenever circum- 
stances would permit, was to wander about, with a gun over- 



60 

my shoulder, and a dog or two hunting before me, not only 
in quest of game, but for the purpose of viewing the coun- 
try to the best advantage, and making, if possible, my own 
observations upon the different positions of the hostile 
armies. For this purpose, I seldom took a direction to 
the rear, generally strolling on towards the advanced pi- 
quets, and then bending my course to the right or left, ac- 
cording as the one or the other held out to me the best 
prospect of obtaining an accurate survey of both encamp- 
ments. On the present occasion, I turned my steps 
towards the heights of San Marcial. This was the point 
which Soult assailed with the greatest vigour, in his vain 
attempt to raise the seige of St. Sebastian's, at the very 
time when the assault of that city was proceeding. It was 
defended on that day by Spaniards, and Spaniards only, 
whom Lord Wellington's dispatch represented to have 
repulsed the enemy with great gallantry ; for my own part, 
I could not but admire the bravery of the troops who, 
however superior in numbers, ventured to attack a position 
so commanding. The heights of San Marcial rise so 
abruptly over the bed of the Bidaossa, that in many places 
it was only by swinging myself from bough to bough, that 
I managed to descend them at all ; yet a column of fifteen 
thousand Frenchmen forced their way nearly to the sum- 
mit, and would have probably succeeded in carrying even 
that, but for the opportune arrival of a brigade of British 
guards. These latter were not, indeed, engaged, but they 
acted as a reserve, and the very sight of them inspired the 
Spanish division with courage sufficient to maintain their 
ground, and check the farther progress of the assailants. 

From the brow of these heights I obtained a tolerably 
distinct view of the French encampment for a considera- 
ble distance, both to the right and left. The range of hills 
which it occupied was in some points less lofty, in others 



61 

even more rugged and more lofty than that on which I now- 
stood. Between me and it flowed the Bidaossa, through 
a valley narrow, indeed, not more perhaps than a gun-shot 
across, but rich and beautiful in the extreme, not only on 
account of the shaggy woods 'which in a great measure 
overspread it, but because of the luxuriant corn-fields, 
meadows, and farm-houses which lay scattered along both 
banks of the river. The outposts of the French army oc- 
cupied their own side of this vale, their sentinels being 
posted at the river's brink ; ours, that is the Spanish pi- 
quets, were stationed about half way down the hill, and 
sent their videttes no farther than its base. For the white 
tents of the British army I looked round in vain. These 
were^generally pitched in woody hollows, so as to screen 
them entirely from the gaze of the enemy, and to shelter 
their inmates as much as might be, from the storms ; but 
the well-built huts of the French soldiers were, in many 
places, distinguishable. Certainly, a Frenchman is far 
more expert in the art of hutting himself than a soldier of 
any other nation. The domiciles upon which I now gazed 
were not like those lately occupied by us, composed of 
branches of trees only, covered over with twigs and with- 
ering leaves, and devoid of chimneys by which smoke 
might escape : on the contrary, they were good, substan- 
tial cottages, with clay walls and regularly thatched roofs, 
•and erected in long straight streets ; the camp of each bri- 
gade or battalion having more the appearance of a settled 
village, than of the temporary abiding place of troops on 
active service. By the aid of my telescope I could per- 
ceive the French soldiers, some at drill, others at play, near 
the huts, nor could I help admiring the perfect light-heart- 
edness which seemed to pervade men who had been so 
lately beaten. 

6 



62 

At this period, the right of the French army occupied 
the high ground above the village of Andaye, and rested 
upon the sea ; while our left, taking in the towns of Irun 
and Font- Arabia, rested upon the sea also. The French 
left was stationed upon a mountain called La Rhune, and 
was supported by a strongly fortified post, up the hill, or, 
rather, the wild of the Hermitage. Our right, again, was 
posted in the pass of Roncesvalles, and along the moun- 
tains beyond it ; but from the spot which I now occupied, 
it could not be descried. Thus the valley of the Bidaossa 
alone separated us from one another, though that may ap- 
pear a barrier sufficient, when the extreme steepness of its 
banks is considered. 

Having remained here long enough to satisfy my curio- 
sity, I turned my steps homewards, taking the direction of 
the deep valley which lay beneath our camp. Having, 
with some difficulty, reached its base, I was particularly 
struck with the extreme loneliness, the more than usual 
stillness, of all things about me. I looked round in vain 
for game. Not a living creature seemed to tenant the glen, 
— there was not a bird of any kind or description among 
the branches, but a death-like silence prevailed, the very 
breezes being shut out, and the very leaves motionless. I 
sat down by the edge of a little stream, somewhat weary, 
and oppressed with thirst, yet I felt a strong disinclination 
to drink, the water looked so slimy and blue I could not 
fancy it. I rose again and pursued its course, hoping to 
reach some turn where it might present a more tempting 
appearance. At length thirst overcame me, and though 
there was no improvement in the hue of the water, I had 
stooped down and applied my lips to its surface, when, ac- 
cidentally casting my eye a little to the right, I beheld a 
man's arm sticking up from the very centre of the rivulet. 
It was black and putrid, and the nails had dropped from 



63 

some of the fingers. Of course, I started to my feet 
without tasting the polluted element, nor could I resist a 
momentary squeamishness at the idea of having narrowly 
escaped drinking this tincture of human carcases. 

In this manner I continued to while away four or five 
days, strolling about amid some of the wildest scenes which 
nature is capable of producing, whenever the weather 
would permit, amusing myself in the best way I could, 
under cover of the canvass, when the rains descended and 
the winds blew. Among other matters I discovered, in 
the course of these rambles, two remarkable caves, having 
the appearance rather of deserted mines, than of natural 
eavities ; but I had not an opportunity of exploring them, 
for on the morning which I had intended to devote to that 
purpose, we once more abandoned our camp, and moved 
to a new position. This was a little distant, about two 
miles from Irun, and a mile from the high road, at the foot 
of those mountains which we had so lately occupied, and 
it proved one of the most agreeable posts of any which 
had been assigned to us since our landing. There we 
remained stationary till the advance of the army into 
France, and as the business of one day very much resem- 
bled that of another, I shall not weary my reader by nar- 
rating its regular order, but state, in few words, only some 
of the most memorable of the adventures which occurred. 

In the first place, the main business of the army was to 
fortify its position, by throwing up redoubts here and there , 
wherever scope for a redoubt could be found. Secondly, 
frequent visits were paid by myself and others, to Irun and 
Fontarabia, towns of which little can be said in praise at 
any time, and certainly nothing at present. They were 
both entirely deserted, at least by the more respectable of 
their inhabitants ; the latter, indeed, was in ruins, crowded 



64 

with Spanish soldiers, muleteers, followers of the camp ? 
sutlers, and adventurers. The keepers of gaming-houses 
had, indeed, remained, and they reaped no inconsiderable 
harvest from their guests ; but with the exception of these, 
and of other characters not more pure than these, few of 
the original tenants of houses now occupied them. Again, 
there was a capital trouting stream before us in the Bida- 
ossa, of which my friend and myself made good use. And 
here I cannot but remark upon the excellent understanding 
which prevailed between the hostile armies, and their gen- 
uine magnanimity towards one another. Many a time 
have I waded half across the little river, on the opposite 
banks of which the enemy's piquets were posted, whilst 
they came down in crowds only to watch my success, and 
to point out particular pools or eddies where the best sport 
was to be had. On such occasions, the sole precaution 
which I took was to dress myself in scarlet, and then I 
might approach within a few yards of their sentries without 
risk of molestation. 

It fell to my lot one morning, whilst the corps lay here, 
to go out in command of a foraging party. We were di- 
rected to proceed along the banks of the river,= — to bring 
back as much green corn, or, rather, ripe corn, for though 
unreaped, the corn was perfectly ripe, — as our horses could 
carry. On this occasion, I had charge of twenty men, 
totally unarmed, and about fifty horses and mules ; and, I 
must confess, that I was not without apprehension that a 
troop of French cavalry would push across the stream and 
cut us off. Of course, I made every disposition for a 
hasty retreat, desiring the men to cast loose their led 
animals, should any such event occur, and to make the best 
of their way to the piquets ; but happily we were permit- 
ted to cut down the maize at our leisure, and to return with 
it unmolested. But enough of these details, — as soon as I 



65 

have related the particulars of an excursion which a party 
of us made to St. Sebastian's, for the purpose of amusing, 
as we best could, the period of inaction. 

I have already stated, that the citadel, after enduring all 
the miseries of the bombardment during a whole week, 
finally surrendered, on the 8th of September. It was now 
the 15th, when myself, with two or three others — being- 
desirous of examining the condition of a place which had 
held out so long and so vigorously against the efforts of its 
besiegers — mounted our horses soon after sunrise, and set 
forth. The road by which we travelled was both sound 
and level, running through the pass of Iran, a narrow wind- 
ing gorge, overhung on both sides by rugged precipices, 
which, in some places, are hardly fifty yards apart. This 
we followed for about twelve miles, when, striking off to 
the left, we made our way, by a sort of cross-road, over 
hill and dale, till we found ourselves among the orchards 
which crown the heights immediately above the town. We 
had directed our course thither, because a medical friend, 
who was left in charge of such of the wounded as could 
not be moved, had taken up his quarters here in a large 
farm-house, which he had converted into a temporary hos- 
pital ; and to him we looked for beds and entertainment. 
Nor were we disappointed ; we found both, and both 
greatly superior in quality to any which had fallen to our 
lot since we landed. 

The reader will easily believe that a man who has spent 
some of the best years of his life amid scenes of violence 
and bloodshed, must have witnessed many spectacles high- 
ly revolting to the purest feelings of our nature ; but a more 
appalling picture of war passed by — of war in its darkest 
colours, — those which distinguish it when its din is over — 
than was presented by St. Sebastian's, and the country in 
its immediate vicinity, I certainly never beheld. Whilst an 

6* 



66 

army is stationary in any district, you are wholly uncon- 
scious of the work of devastation which is proceeding — 
you see only the hurry and pomp of hostile operations. 
But, when the tide has rolled on, and you return by chance 
to the spot over which it has last swept, the effect upon 
your own mind is such, as cannot even be imagined by him 
who has not experienced it. Little more than a week had 
elapsed, since the division employed in the siege of St. 
Sebastian's had moved forward. Their trenches were not 
yet filled up, nor their batteries demolished ; yet the former 
had, in some places, fallen in of their own accord, and the 
latter were beginning to crumble to pieces. We passed 
them by, however, without much notice. It was, indeed, 
impossible not to acknowledge, that the perfect silence 
which prevailed was far more awful than the bustle and stir 
that lately prevailed there ; whilst the dilapidated condition 
of the convent, and of the few cottages which stood near 
it, stripped as they were of roofs, doors, and windows, and 
perforated with cannon shot, inspired us, now that they 
were deserted, with sensations somewhat gloomy. But 
these were trifling — a mere nothing, when compared with 
the feelings which a view of the town itself excited. 

As we pursued the main road, and approached St. Se- 
bastian's by its ordinary entrance, we were at first sur- 
prised at the slight degree of damage done to its fortifica- 
tions by the fire of our batteries. The walls and battle- 
ments beside the gateway appeared wholly uninjured, the 
very embrasures being hardly defaced. But the delusion 
grew gradually more faint as we drew nearer, and had 
totally vanished before we reached the glacis. We found 
the draw-bridge fallen down across the ditch, in such a 
fashion, that the endeavour to pass it was not without dan- 
ger. The folding gates were torn from their hinges, one 
lying flat upon the ground, and the other leaning against 



67 

the wall ; whilst our own steps, as we moved along tho 
arched passage, sounded loud and melancholy. 

Having crossed this, we found ourselves at the com- 
mencement of what had once been the principal street in 
the place. No doubt it was, in its day, both neat and re- 
gular ; but of the houses, nothing more remained except 
the outward shells, which, however, appeared to be of an 
uniform height and style of architecture. As far as I could 
judge, they stood five stories from the ground, and were 
faced with a sort of free-stone, so thoroughly blackened 
and defiled, as to be hardly cognizable. The street itself 
was, moreover, choked up with heaps of ruins, among 
which were strewed about fragments of household furni- 
ture and clothing, mixed with caps, military accoutrements, 
round shot, pieces of shells, and all the other implements of 
strife. Neither were there wanting other evidences of the 
drama which had been lately acted here, in the shape of 
dead bodies, putrefying, and infecting the air with the most 
horrible stench. Of living creatures, on the other hand, 
not one was to be seen, not even a dog or a cat ; indeed, 
we traversed the whole city without meeting more than six 
human beings. These, from their dress and abject ap- 
pearance, struck me as being some of the inhabitants who 
had survived the assault. They looked wild and haggard, 
and moved about here and there, poking among the ruins, 
as if they were either in search of the bodies of their 
slaughtered relatives, or hoped to find some little remnant 
of their property. I remarked, that two or three of them 
carried bags over their arms, into which they thurst every 
trifling article of copper or iron which came in their way. 

From the streets, each of which resembled, in every 
particular, that which we had first entered, we proceeded 
towards the breach, where a dreadful spectacle awaited us. 
We found it covered — literally covered — with fragments of 



68 

dead carcases, to bury which it was evident that no effec- 
tual attempt had been made. I afterwards learned, that 
the Spanish corps which had been left to perform this duty, 
instead of burying, endeavoured to burn the bodies ; and 
hence the half-consumed limbs and trunks which were 
scattered about, the effluvia arising from which was beyond 
conception overpowering. We were heartily glad to quit 
this part of the town, and hastened, by the nearest covered 
way, to the Castle. 

Our visit to it soon convinced us, that in the idea which 
we had formed of its vast strength, we were greatly de- 
ceived. The walls were so feebly built, that in some 
places, where no shot could have struck them, they were 
rent from top to bottom by the recoil of the guns which 
surmounted them. About twenty heavy pieces of ord- 
nance, with a couple of mortars, composed the whole 
artillery of the place ; whilst there was not a single bomb- 
proof building in it, except the Governor's house. A 
large bake-house, indeed, was bomb-proof, because it was 
hollowed out of the rock; but the barracks were every- 
where perforated and in ruins. That the garrison must 
have suffered fearfully during the week's bombardment, 
everything in and about the place gave proof. Many 
holes were dug in the earth, and covered over with large 
stones, into which, no doubt, the soldiers had crept for 
shelter; but these were not capable of protecting them, at 
least in sufficient numbers. 

Among other places, we strolled into what had been 
the hospital. It was a long room, containing, perhaps, 
twenty truckle bedsteads, all of which were entire, and 
covered with straw palliasses ; of these, by far the greater 
number were dyed with blood ; but only one had a tenant. 
We approached, and lifting a coarse sheet which covered 
it, we found the body of a mere youth, evidently not more 



by 

than seventeen years of age. There was the mark of u 
musket ball through his breast ; but he was so fresh — had 
suffered so little from the effects of decay, that we found 
lie had been left to perish of neglect. — I trust we were 
mistaken. We covered him up again, and quitted the 
place. 

We had now gratified our curiosity to the full, and turned 
our backs upon St. Sebastian's, not without a chilling sense 
of the horrible points in our profession. But this gradu- 
ally wore off as we approached the quarters of our host, 
and soon gave place to the more cheering influence of a 
substantial dinner, and a few cups of indifferently good 
wine. We slept soundly after our day's journey, and start- 
ing next morning with the lark, we returned to our beauti- 
ful encampment above Irun. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Thus passed nearly four weeks, the weather varying* 
as at this season it is everywhere liable to vary, from wet 
to dry, and from storm to calm. The troops worked 
sedulously at the redoubts, till no fewer than seven-and- 
thirty, commanding and flanking all the most assailable 
points between Fontarabia and the Foundery, were com- 
pleted. For my own part, I pursued my ordinary routine, 
shooting or fishing all day long, whenever leisure was af- 
forded, or rambling about amid scenery, grand beyond all 
power of language to describe. In one of these excur- 
sions, I stumbled upon another cave, similar, in all re- 
spects, to those which I had before been hindered from 
exploring. Determined not to be disappointed this time, 
I returned immediately to tho camp, where, providing my- 
self with a dark lantern, and taking a drawn sword in my 
hand, I hastened back to the spot. As I drew near, the 
thought that very possibly it might be a harbour for wolves, 
came across me, and half tempted me to stifle my curiosity ; 
but curiosity overpowered caution, and I entered. Like 
most adventures of the kind, mine was wholly without 
danger. The cave proved, as I suspected it would, to be 
a deserted mine, extending several hundred feet under- 
ground, and ending in a heap of rubbish, as if the roof 
had given way and Choked up farther progress. I found 
in it only an old iron three-legged pot, which I brought 
away with me, as a trophy of my hardihood. 

It was now the 5th of October, and in spite of numerous 
rumours of a movement, the army still remained quiet. 
Marshal Soult, however, appeared fully to expect om 



71 

advance, for he caused a number of hand-bills to be scat- 
tered through the camp, by the market people, most of 
whom were in his pay, warning us, that Gascony had risen 
en masse ; and that if we dared to violate the sacred soil, 
every man who ventured, beyond the camp would undoubt- 
edly be murdered. These hand-bills were printed in French 
and Spanish ; and they came in, in increased quantities, 
about the time that intelligence of Bonaparte's disastrous 
campaign in Russia reached us. Of course, we paid to 
them no attention whatever, nor had they the most remote 
effect in determining the plans of our leader, who probably 
knew, as well as the French general, how affairs really 
stood. 

I shall not soon forget the 5th, the 6th, or the 7th of 
October. The first of these days I had spent among the 
woods, and returned to my tent in the evening, with a tole- 
rably well-stored game-bag ; but though fagged with my 
morning exercise, I could not sleep. After tossing about 
upon my blanket, till near midnight, I rose, and, pulling on 
my clothes, walked out. The moon was shining in cloud- 
less majesty, and lighted up a scene such as I never looked 
upon before, and shall probably never look upon again. 1 
had admired the situation of our camp during the day, as 
it well deserved ; but when I viewed it by moonlight, — the 
tents moist with dew, and glittering in the silver rays which 
fell upon them, with a grove of dwarf oaks partly shading 
them, and the stupendous cliffs distinctly visible in the back 
ground, I thought, and I think now, that the eye of man 
never beheld a scene more romantic or more beautiful. 
There was just breeze enough to produce a slight waving 
of the branches, which, joined to the increasing roar of a 
little waterfall at no great distance, and the occasional voice 
of a sentinel, who challenged as any one approached his 
post, produced an effect altogether too powerful for me to 



72 

portray, at this distance of time, even to myself. I walked 
about for two hours, perfectly enchanted, though I could 
not help thinking, that thousands who slept securely under 
that moon's rays, would sleep far more soundly under the 
rays of another. 

I returned to my couch of fern about two in the morning, 
and slept, or rather dozed, till day-break; then, having 
waited the usual time under arms with the men, I set off 
again, with my dog and gun, to the mountains. But I was 
weary with last night's watching, and a friend, in something 
of my own turn of mind, overtaking me, we sat down to 
bask in the sun> upon a lofty rock which overlooked the 
camp. There we remained till the collecting clouds warned 
us of a coming storm ; when, hurrying home, the informa- 
tion so long expected was communicated to us, namely, 
that we were to attack on the morrow. 

I am no fire-eater, nor ever professed to be one ; but I 
confess that the news produced in me very pleasurable 
sensations. We had been stationary, in our present posi- 
tion, so long, that all the objects around had become fa- 
miliar, and variety is everything in the life of a soldier. 
Besides, there was the idea of invading France, an idea 
which, a few years before, would have been scouted as 
visionary ; this created a degree of excitement highly ani- 
mating. Not that I was thoughtless of what might be nn 
own fate ; on the contrary, I never yet went into action 
without making up my mind before hand, for the worst. 
But you become so familiarized with death, after you have 
spent a few months amid such scenes as I had lately wit- 
nessed, that it loses most of its terrors, and is considered, 
only as a blank is considered in the lottery of which you 
may have purchased a ticket. It may come and go, why, 
there is no help for it ; but you may escape, and then there 
are new scenes to be witnessed, and new adventures to go 
through. 



73 

As the attack was to be made at an early hour, the 
roops were ordered to lie down as soon after dark as 
possible, in order that they might be fresh, and in good 
spirits for the work of to-morrow. In the meanwhile, the 
clouds continued to collect over the whole face of the sky, 
and the extreme sultriness of the atmosphere indicated an 
approaching thunder-storm. The sun went down, lower- 
ing and ominously, but it was not till the first night-relief 
had been planted, that is, about eight or nine o'clock in 
the evening, that the storm burst upon us. Then indeed 
it came, and with a degree of sublimity which accompa- 
nies sucrf a storm, only amid such scenery. The light- 
ning was more vivid than any which I recollect ever to 
have seen, and the peals of thunder, echoed back as they 
were by the rocks and mountains around, sounded more 
like one continued rending of the elements, than the inter- 
mitted discharges of an electric cloud. Happily, little or 
no rain fell, at least for a time, by which means I was ena- 
bled to sit at the door of my tent and watch the storm, nor 
have I been frequently more delighted than with its pro- 
gress. 

Immediately opposite to where I sat, was a valley or 
glen, beautifully wooded ; at the bottom of which flowed a 
little rivulet, which came from the waterfall already alluded 
to. This was completely laid open to me at every flash, 
as well as the whole side of the mountain beyond it ; near 
the summit of which, a body of Spanish soldiers were 
posted in a lonely cottage. It was exceedingly curious to 
catch sight of this hut, with warlike figures moving about 
it, and arms piled beside it ; of the bold heights around, 
with the stream tumbling from its rocky bed, and the thick 
groves, and the white tents — and then, to have the whole 
hidden from you in a moment. I sat and feasted my eyes, 
till the rain began to descend ; when the storm gradually 

7 



74 

abating, I stretched myself on the ground, and without un- 
dressing, wrapt myself in my cloak, and fell asleep. 

It was, as nearly as I can now recollect, about four 
o'clock next morning, when I was roused from my slumber 
by the orderly sergeant of the company. By this time the 
storm had completely passed away, and the stars were 
shining in a sky perfectly cloudless. The moon had, how- 
ever, gone down, nor was there any other light except 
what they afforded, to aid the red glare from the decaying 
fires, which, for want of fuel, were fast dying out. The 
effect of this dull light, as it fell upon the soldiers, muster- 
ing in solemn silence, was exceedingly fine. You could 
not distinguish either the uniform or the features of the 
men ; you saw only groups collecting together, with arms 
in their hands ; and it was impossible not to associate in 
your own mind the idea of banditti, rather than of regular 
troops, with the wild forest scenery around. Of course, 
I started to my feet at the first summons ; and having 
buckled on my sabre, stowed away some cold meat, bis- 
cuit, and rum, in a haversack, and placed it, with my cloak, 
across the back of my horse, and swallowed a cup or two 
of coffee, I felt myself ready and willing for any kind of 
service whatever. 

In little more than a quarter of an hour, the corps was 
under arms, and each man in his place. We had already 
been joined by two other battalions, forming a brigade of 
about fifteen hundred men ; and about an hour before sun- 
rise, just as the first streaks of dawn were appearing in the 
east, the word was given to march. Our tents were not, 
on this occasion, struck. They were left standing, with 
the baggage and mules, under the protection of a guard, for 
the purpose of deceiving the enemies piquets, in whose 
view they were exposed, with the belief that nothing was 
going forward. This measure was rendered necessary. 



lb 

because the state of the tide promised not to admit of our 
fording the river till past seven o'clock ; long before which 
hour broad day-light would set in ; and hence, the whole 
object of our early movement was to gain, unobserved, a 
sort of hollow, close to the banks of the Bidaossa, from 
which, as soon as the stream should be passable, we 
might emerge. 

As we moved in profound silence, we reached our place 
of ambuscade without creating the smallest alarm ; where 
we laid ourselves down upon the ground, for the double 
purpose of more effectually avoiding a display, and of 
taking as much rest as possible. Whilst lying here, we 
listened, with eager curiosity, to the distant tread of feet, 
which marked the coming up of-other divisions, and to the 
lumbering sound of the artillery, as it rolled along the high 
road. The latter increased upon us every moment, till at 
length three ponderous eighteen-pounders reached the hol- 
low, and began to ascend the rising ground immediately in 
front of us. These were placed in battery, so as to com- 
mand the ford, across which a stone bridge, now in ruins, 
was thrown ; and by which we knew, from the position 
which we now occupied, that we were destined to proceed. 
By what infatuation it arose, that all those preparations 
excited no suspicion among the enemy, whose sentinels 
were scarce half musket-shot distant, I know not ; but the 
event proved, that they expected, this morning, anything 
rather than an attack. 

Before I proceed to describe the circumstances of the 
battle, I must endeavour to convey to the minds of my non- 
military readers something like a clear notion of the nature 
of the position occupied by the right of the French army. 
I have already said, that its extreme flank rested upon the 
sea. Its more central brigades occupied a chain of heights, 
not, indeed, deserving of the name of mountains, but still 



76 

sufficiently steep to check the progress of an advancing 
force, and ful) of natural inequalities, well adapted to cover 
the defenders from the &e of the assailants. Along the 
face of these heights is built the straggling village of An- 
dage ; and immediately in front of them runs the frith or 
mouth of the Bidaossa, fordable only in two points, one 
opposite to Font- Arabia, and the other in the direction of 
the main road. Close to the French bank of the river, 
is a grove, or strip of willows, with several vineyards, and 
other enclosures, admirably calculated for skirmishes ; 
whilst the ford, beside the ruined bridge, the only one by 
which artillery could pass, was completely commanded by 
a fortified house, or tete-du-pont, filled with infantry. The 
main road, again, on the French side of the river, winds 
among overhanging precipices, not, indeed, so rugged as 
those in the pass of Irun, but sufficiently bold to place 
troops which might occupy them in comparative security, 
and to render one hundred resolute men mure than a 
match for a thousand who might attack them. Yet these 
were the most assailable points in the whole position, all 
beyond the road being little else than perpendicular cliffs, 
shaggy with pine and ash trees. 

Such was the nature of the ground which we were 
commanded to carry. As day dawned, I could distinctly 
see that the old town of Font-Arabia was filled with British 
soldiers. The fifth division, which had borne the brunt 
of the late siege, and which, since the issue of their la- 
bours, had been permitted to rest somewhat in 4he rear, 
had been moved up on the preceding evening ; and reach- 
ing Font- Arabia a little before midnight, had spent some 
hours in the streets. Immediately in the rear of our- 
selves, again, and in the streets of Irun, about eight thou- 
sand of the guards and of the German legion were repo- 
sing ; whilst a brigade of cavalry just showed its leading 



77 

tile, at a turning in the main road, and a couple of nine- 
pounders stood close beside them. It was altogether a 
beautiful and an animating sight, not fewer than fifteen or 
twenty thousand British and Portuguese troops being dis- 
tinguishable at a single glance. 

Away to our right, and on the tops of San Marcial, 
the Spanish divisions took their stations ; nor could 1 
avoid drawing something like an invidious comparison be- 
tween them and their gallant allies. Half clothed, and 
badly fed, though sufficiently armed, their appearance cer- 
tainly promised no more than their actions, for the most 
part, verified. Not that the Spanish peasantry are defi- 
cient in personal courage, (and their soldiers were, gene- 
rally speaking, no other than peasants with muskets in 
their hands,) but theircorps were so miserably officered, and 
their commissariot so miserably supplied, that the chief 
matter of surprise is, how they came to fight at all. Even 
at this period of the war, when their country might be said 
to be completely freed from the invader, the principal sub- 
sistence of the Spanish army consisted in the heads of In- 
dian com, which they gathered for themselves in the fielde, 
and cooked, by roasting them over their fires. 

It will readily be imagined, that we watched the gradual 
fall of the river with intense anxiety, turning our glasses 
ever and anon towards the French lines-, throughout which 
all remained most unaccountably quiet. At length a 
movement could be distinguished among the troops which 
occupied Font- Arabia. Their skirmishers began to emerge 
from under cover of the houses, and to approach the river, 
when instantly the three eighteen-pounders opened from 
the heights above us. This was the signal for a general 
advance. Our column, likewise, threw out its skir- 
mishers, which, hastening towards the ford, were saluted 
by a sharp fire of musketry, from the enemy's piquets, and 



78 

from the garrison of the tete-du-pont. But the latter was 
speedily abandoned as our people pressed through the 
stream, and our artillery kept up an incessant discharge of 
round and grape shot upon it. 

The French piquets were driven in, and our troops esta- 
blished on the opposite bank, with hardly any loss on our 
part, though those who crossed by Fontarabia were obliged 
to hold their firelocks and cartouch-boxes over their heads, 
to keep them dry ; and the water reached nearly above the 
knees beside the bridge. The alarm had, however; been 
communicated to the columns in rear, which hastily formed 
upon the heights, and endeavoured, but in vain, to keep 
possession of Andage. That village was carried in gal- 
lant style by a brigade of the fifth division, whilst the first, 
moving steadily along the road, dislodged from their post 
the garrison of the hills which commanded it, and crowned 
the heights almost without opposition. A general panic 
seemed to have seized the enemy. Instead of boldly 
charging us, |as we moved forward in column, they fired 
their pieces, and fled without pausing to reload them, nor 
was anything like a determined stand attempted, till all 
their works had fallen into our hands, and much of their 
artillery was taken. It was one of the most perfect, and 
yet extraordinary surprises, which I ever beheld. 

There were not, however, wanting many brave fellows 
among the French officers, who exerted themselves strenu- 
ously to rally their terrified comrades, and to restore the 
battle. Among these I remarked one in particular. He 
was on horseback ; and, riding among a flying battalion, 
he used every means which threat and entreaty could pro- 
duce, to stop them; and he succeeded. The battalion 
paused, its example was followed by others, and in five 
minutes a well-formed line occupied what looked like the 



79 

last of a range of green hills, on the other side of a valK v 
which we were descending. 

This sudden movement on the part of the enemy was 
met by a corresponding formation on ours ; we wheeled 
into line and advanced. Not a word was spoken, nor a 
shot fired, till our troops had reached nearly half way across 
the little hollow, when the French, raising one of their 
discordant yells, — a sort of shout, in which every man hal- 
loos for himself, without regard to the tone or time of those 
about him, fired a volley. It was well directed, and did 
considerable execution ; but it checked not our approach 
for a moment. Our men replied to it with a hearty Bri- 
tish cheer, and giving them back their fire, rushed on to 
the charge. 

In this they were met with great spirit by the enemy. I 
remarked the same individual, who had first stopped their 
flight, ride along the front of his men, and animate them 
to their duty, nor was it without very considerable difficulty, 
and after having exchanged several discharges of mus- 
ketry, that we succeeded in getting within charging dis- 
tance. Then, indeed, another cheer was given, and the 
French, without waiting for the rush, once more broke their 
ranks and fled. Their leader was still as active as before. 
He rode among the men, reproached, exhorted, and even 
struck those near him with his sword, and he was once 
more about to restore order, when he fell. In an instant, 
however, he rose again and mounted another horse, but he 
had hardly done so when a ball took effect in his neck, 
and he dropped dead. The fall of this one man decided 
the day upon the heights of Andage. The French troops 
lost all order and all discipline, and making their way to 
the rear, each by himself as he best could, they left us in 
undisputed possession of the field. 



80 

On the right of our army, however, and on the extreme 
left of the enemy, a much more determined opposition was 
offered. There Soult had added to the .natural strength of 
his position, by throwing up redoubts and batteries upon 
every commanding point, and hence, it was not without 
suffering a very considerable loss, that the light division 
succeeded in turning it. All attempts, indeed, to carry the 
Hermitage, failed, though they were renewed with the 
most daring resolution, till a late hour in the night. But 
of the operations of the army in these quarters, I could 
see nothing, and therefore I will not attempt to describe 
them. 

The day was far spent when our troops, wearied as much 
with the pursuit as with fighting, were commanded to halt, 
and to lie down in brigades and divisions along the heights 
which the enemy had abandoned. With us all was now 
perfectly quiet ; but the roar of musketry, and the thunder 
of the cannon, still sounded on our right. As the darkness 
set in, too, the flashes became every moment more and 
more conspicuous, and produced, on account of the great 
unevenness of the ground, a remarkably beautiful effect. 
Repeated assaults being still made upon the Hermitage 
rock, the whole side of that conical hill seemed in a blaze, 
whilst every valley and eminence around it sparkled from 
time to time like the hills and valleys of a tropical climate, 
when the fire-flies are out in millions. Nor were other 
and stronger lights wanting. Our troops, in the hurry of 
the battle, had set fire to the huts of the French soldiers, 
which now burst forth, and cast a strong glare over the en- 
tire extent of the field. On the whole it was a glorious 
scene, and tended much to keep up the degree of excite- 
ment which had pervaded our minds during the day. 

Our loss, I mean the loss of the corps to which I was 
attached, chanced to be trifling. No particular compa- 



81 

nion, or intimate acquaintance of mine at least, had fallen, 
consequently there was nothing to destroy the feeling of 
pure delight, which the meanest individual in an army ex- 
periences when that army has triumphed ; nor do I recol- 
lect many happier moments of my life, than when I 
stretched myself this evening beside a fire, near my friend 
Graham, to chat over the occurrences of the day. The 
Quarter-master coming up soon after with a supply of pro- 
visions and rum, added, indeed, not a little to my satisfac- 
tion, for the stock which I had provided in the morning was 
long ago disposed of among those who had been less pro- 
vident ; and my meal was followed by a sleep, such as kings 
might envy, though the heavens were my canopy, and the 
green turf was my bed. 



CHAPTER VII. 



About an hour after sunrise, on the following morning, 
the tents and baggage, which had been left on the Spanish 
side of the river, came up ; and we were once more ena- 
bled to shelter ourselves against the inclemency of the 
weather. And it was well that their arrival was not longer 
deferred, for we had hardly time to pitch the former, when 
a heavy storm of wind and rain began, which, lasting with 
little intermission during two whole days, rendered our 
situation the reverse of agreeable. The position which 
we occupied, was, morever, exceedingly exposed, our camp 
stretching along the ridge of a bleak hill, totally bare of 
every description of wood ; indeed, the only fuel now 
within our reach, consisted of furze, the green and prickly 
parts of which we chopped and gave as forage to our 
horses, whilst the stems and smaller branches supplied us 
with very indifferent material for our fires. 

The left column of the army had not long established 
itself in France, when crowds of suttlers, and other camp- 
followers, began to pour in. These persons, taking pos- 
session of such of the enemy's huts as had escaped the 
violence of our soldiers, opened their shops in due form 
along the high road, and soon gave to the spot which they 
occupied the appearance of a settled village during the 
season of a fair, when booths, and caravans of wild-beasts, 
erowd its little street. This village became, before long, 
a favourite resort of the idle, and of such as still retained 
a few dollars in their purses, and many were the bottles of 
nominal brown-stout which, night after night, were consu- 
med at the sign of the " Jolly Soldier." 



83 

I hardly recollect any period of my active life more de- 
void of interesting occurrences, than that which intervened 
between the crossing of the Spanish border, and the ad- 
vance of the army towards Bayonne. We continued on 
the heights of Andage, from the 8th of October till the 
9th of November, during the greater part of which time the 
weather was uncommonly severe, cold showers of rain un- 
ceasingly falling, and tremendous gusts of wind prevailing ; 
indeed, we began to fear at last, that nothing more would 
be done this season, and that we should either retire to the 
towns of Irun and Fontarabia, or spend the winter under 
canvass. That we were wantonly kept here, no one 
imagined. On the contrary, we were quite aware, that 
nothing but the protracted fall of Pampeluna hindered our 
advance, and joyful was the news which at length reached 
us, that that important city had surrendered. 

Of course, I did not confine myself to my tent, or within 
the bounds of the camp, all this while. I shot and fished, 
as usual — made excursions to the rear and to the front, as 
the humour directed, and adopted every ordinary expedient 
to kill time. On these occasions adventures were not 
always wanting, but they were for the most part such as 
would excite but little interest were they repeated. I re- 
collect one, however, which deserves narration, more per- 
haps than the others, and that I will detail. 

Whilst the British army occupied its position along the 
Spanish bank of the Bidaossa, a vast number of de- 
sertions took place ; insomuch as to cause a serious dimi- 
nution of its strength. As this was an event which had but 
rarely occurred before, many opinions were hazarded as to 
its cause. For my own part, I attributed it entirely to the 
operation of superstitious terror on the minds of the men, and 
for this reason. It is generally the custom, in planting sen- 
tinels in the immediate presence of an enemy — to station 



u 

ihem in pairs, so that one may patrol as far as the next 
post, whilst the other remains steady on his ground. Per- 
haps, too, the wish of giving greater confidence to the men 
themselves, may have some weight in dictating the mea- 
sure ; at all events, there can be no doubt that it produces 
this effect. Such, however, was the nature of the ground 
covered by our piquets among the Pyrenees, that in many 
places there was hardly room for a couple of sentinels to 
occupy a single post, whilst it was only at the mouths of 
the various passes that two were more desirable than one 
for securing the safety of the army. Rugged as the coun- 
try was, however, almost every foot of it had been the 
scene of action, whilst the dead, falling among rocks and 
cliffs, were left, in various instances, from necessity, un- 
buried ; and exactly in those parts where the dead lay un- 
feuried, single sentinels were planted. That both soldiers 
and sailors are frequently superstitious, every person 
knows ; nor can it be pleasant for the strongest minded 
among them to spend two or three hours of a stormy night 
beside a mangled and naif devoured carcase ; indeed I 
have been myself, more than once, remonstrated with, 
for desiring as brave a fellow as any in the corps, to keep 
guard near one of his fallen comrades. " I don't care for 
living men," said the soldier ; " but for Godsake, sir, 
don't keep me beside him •" and wherever I could yield to 
the remonstrance, I invariably did so. My own opinion, 
therefore, was, that many of our sentries became so over- 
powered by superstition, that they could not keep their 
ground. They knew, however, that if they returned to the 
piquet, a severe punishment awaited them ; and hence they 
went over to the enemy, rather than endure the misery of 
a diseased imagination. 

As a proof that my notions were correct, it was remark- 
ed, that the army had no sooner descended from the moun- 
tains, and taken up a position which required a chain of 



double sentinels to be renewed, than desertion in a verj 
^reat degree ceased. A few instances, indeed, still occur- 
red, as will always be the case where men of all temper- 
are brought together, as in an army ; but they bore not the 
proportion of one to twenty towards those which took place 
among the Pyrenees. To put a stop to mis entirely, n 
.severe order was issued, positively prohibiting every man 
from passing the advanced videttes ; and it was declared; 
that whoever was caught on what is termed the neutral 
ground — that is, on the ground between the enemy's out- 
nosts and our own, should henceforth be treated as a de- 
serter. 

I had ridden towards the front one morning, for the pur- 
pose of visiting a friend in the 5th division, when I learned, M 
that three men had been seized a few days before, half-way 
between the two chains of posts, and that one of them had 
confessed that their intention was to desert. A court- 
martial was immediately ordered ; the prisoners were con- 
demned to be shot ; and this was the day on which the 
sentence was to be carried into execution. I consequently 
found the division, on my arrival, getting under arms ; and 
being informed of the circumstances, I determined, after a 
short struggle with my weaker feelings, to witness the pro- 
• ceding. 

It was, altogether, a most solemn and impressive spec- 
acle. The soldiers took their stations, and formed their 
ranks, without speaking a word ; and they looked at dne 
another with that peculiar expression, which, without 
seeming to imply any suspicion of the impropriety of the 
measure, indicated great reluctance to become specta- 
tors of it. The same feeling evidently pervaded the minds 
of the officers ; indeed you could almost perceive the sort 
of Shudder which ran through the frames of all who were 
on parade. 

o 



86 

The place appointed for the execution was a little ele- 
vated plain, a few hundred yards in front of the camp, and 
near the piquet from which the culprits had deserted. 
Hither the different battalions directed their steps, and the 
whole division being formed into three sides of a hollow 
square, the men grounded their arms, and stood still. At 
the vacant side of this square, a grave was dug, the earth, 
which had been excavated, being piled up on its opposite 
bank ; and this, as the event proved, was the spot to be 
occupied by the prisoners. 

We had stood thus about five minutes, when the muffled 
drums of the corps to which the culprits belonged, were 
heard beating the dead-march ; and they themselves, 
hand-cuffed and surrounded by their guards, made their 
appearance. One was a fine young man, tall, and well- 
made ; another was a dark, thick set, little man, about forty 
years of age ; and the third had nothing remarkable in his 
countenance, except an expression of deep cunning and 
treachery. They all moved forward with considerable 
firmness, and took their stations on the mound, when, at- 
tention being ordered, a staff-officer advanced into the cen- 
tre of the square, and read aloud the proceedings of the 
Court. By these, sentence of death was passed upon all 
three, but the most villainous-looking among them was 
recommended to mercy, on the score of his having added 
the guilt of treachery to his other crimes. 

As soon as the reading was finished, the prisoners were 
commanded to kneel down upon the ground, and a hand- 
kerchief was tied over the eyes of each. Whilst this was 
doing, I looked round, not so much from curiosity as to 
give a momentary relief to my own excited feelings, upon 
the countenances of the soldiers. They were, one and all 
of them, deadly pale, whilst the teeth of the many were 
set closely together, and their very breaths seemed to be 
repressed. It was altogether a most harrowing moment. 



87 

The eyes of the prisoners being now tied up, the guard 
was withdrawn from around them, and took post about ten 
yards in their front. As soon as this was done, the same 
staff-officer who had read the proceedings of the trial, call- 
ing to the informer by name, ordered him to rise, for that 
the commander of the forces had attended to the recom- 
mendation of his judges, and spared his life. But the 
poor wretch paid no attention to the order ; I question, in- 
deed, whether he heard it ; for he knelt there as if rooted to 
the spot, till a file of men removed him in a state of insen- 
sibility. What the feelings of his companions in crime 
must have been at this moment I know* not, but their mi- 
series were of shJrt duration ; for, a signal being given, 
about sixteen soldiers fired, and they were instantly num- 
bered with the dead. The little man, I observed, sprang 
into the air when he received his wounds, the other fell 
flat upon his face ; but neither gave the slightest symptom 
of vitality after. 

The discharge of the muskets in the face of the cul- 
prits, was followed by a sound as if every man in the divi- 
sion had been stifled for the last five minutes^ and now at 
length drew in his breath. It was not a groan nor a sigh, 
but a sob, like that which you unconsciously utter after 
dipping your head under water ; and now all excitement 
was at an end. The men were dead ; they died by mus- 
ket-shots ; and these were occurrences, viewing them in 
the abstract, far too common to be much regarded. But 
in order to give to the execution its full effect, the division 
formed into open column of battalions, and marched round 
the grave, on the brink of which the bodies lay ; after 
which each corps filed off to its tents, and long before 
dark the scene of the morning was forgotten. Not but 
that it produced a good effect, by checking the prevalence 
of the offence of which it was the punishment ; but pity 
soon died away, and every feeling of disgust, if, indeed, 
41 



88 

any such feeling had at all arisen, was obliterated. The 
bodies were thrown into the hole and covered up, and I 
returned to my tent to muse upon what I had seen. 

I have stated, that on the third of November intelligence 
of the fall of Pampeluna reached us. From that day we 
began to calculate, in real earnest, upon a speedy renewal 
of operations, and to speculate upon the probable extent 
of our progress ere a new halt should be ordered, or the 
troops placed in quarters for the winter. But so much 
rain had fallen during the preceding fortnight, that the 
cross-roads were rendered wholly impassable, and, what 
was worse, there appeared no promise of a change in the 
weather. 

I had the honour to be personally acquainted with the 
distinguished officer, whose unlooked-for death caused, of 
late, so great a sensation of sorrow throughout Scotland, 
I mean the Earl of Hopetoun, at that period Sir John 
Hope. Sir John had lately joined the army, relieving Sir 
Thomas Graham in the guidance of the left column, and 
rilling the office of second in command under Lord Wel- 
lington. Whilst our division occupied the heights of An- 
dage, I spent several agreeable evenings in his company ; 
the particulars attending one of which, as they had, at the 
time at least, a more than ordinary degree of interest in 
them, I shall take the liberty to repeat. 

On the seventh of November I dined with the General. 
We sat down to table about six o'clock, and were begin- 
ning to experience as much satisfaction as good cheer and 
pleasant company can produce, when an orderly dragoon 
rode into the court-yard of the house at full speed. He 
was immediately admitted, and, being ushered into the 
room where we sat, he handed a sealed packet to our host. 
Sir John immediately opened it, — glanced his eye over 
its contents, — put it into his pocket, and, motioning to the 
orderly to withdraw, renewed the conversation which had 



89 

been interrupted. Though more than half suspicious that 
the packet contained intelligence of importance, we, I 
mean the General's guests and staff, soon returned to our 
usual lively chat ; when the clattering of another horse's 
hoofs was heard, and Colonel Delancy entered. He was 
accompanied by an officer of the corps of guides, and re- 
questing permission to hold a few minutes' private conver- 
sation with Sir John Hope, they all three retired together. 

"We shall have something to do before 24 hours pass," 
said one of the aides-de-camp; "Delancy always brings 
warlike communications with him." — " So much the 
better," was the general reply. " Let us drink to our host, 
and success to to-morrow's operations." The toast was 
hardly finished, when Sir John returned, bringing with him 
only the officer of the corps of guides ; Delancy was gone ; 
but of the purport of the communication not a hint was 
dropped, and the evening passed on as if no such communi- 
cation had been made. 

About nine o'clock our party broke up, and we were 
wishing our friends good-night, when a French officer, who 
had deserted from his corps, was brought in. He was 
civilly,' but very coolly received. He had little information 
to give, except that a batch of conscripts had lately joined 
the army, most of whom w r ere either old men or boys; so 
thoroughly was the youth of France by this time wasted 
through a continuance of wars. We, who were guests, 
stayed not, however, to hear him out, but mounting our 
horses, returned each to his tent. 

On reaching the camp of my own corps, I found, as, 
indeed, I had expected to find, that the order for an attack 
was issued, and that the brigade was to be under arms by 
four o'clock next morning. Once more, therefore, I made 
up my mind for the worst, and having instruc ted my friend 
as to the manner in which I wished my little property to be 
disposed of; having assigned my sword to one, my pelisse 

8*' " 



90 

to another, and my faithful dog to a third, I was, if you 
please, methodist enough to recommend my soul to the 
mercy of its Creator, and then lay down. For a while 
Graham and myself chatted, as men, at least men of any 
reflection, so situated, are wont to chat. We agreed, as 
indeed, we always did on such occasions, to act as execu- 
tors the one to the other, and having cordially shaken 
hruids, lest an opportunity of so doing should not occur 
again, we fell fast asleep. 

I had slept perhaps an hour and a half, when I was 
awoke by the voice of the orderly sergeant, who came to 
inform us that the movement of the army was counter- 
manded. I will not say whether the intelligence was 
received as acceptable, or the reverse ; indeed, I question 
whether we ourselves knew, at the moment, whether we 
were relieved by the reprieve or the contrary. One thing, 
however, is certain, that I slept not the less soundly from 
knowing, that at least to-morrow was secured to me, to 
be_; passed in a state of vigour and vitality, though per- 
fectly aware that the peril of a battle must be encountered 
before long, and hence, that it was really a matter of very 
little moment, whether it should take place now, or a few 
days hence. 

On mustering, next morning, upon the parade-ground, 
we learned that our intended operations were impeded 
only by the very bad state of the roads. Though the 
rain had ceased for some days past, such was the quantity 
which had fallen, that no artillery could, as yet, move in 
any other direction than along the main road. The con- 
tinuance of dry weather for eight-and-forty hours longer, 
would, however, it was calculated, remove this obstacle 
to our advance; and hence, every man felt that he had 
but a couple of days to count upon. By good fortune, 
these days continued clear and serene, and the justice of 
our calculations was, in due time, evinced. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The eighth and ninth of November passed over, without 
any event occurring worthy of recital. On the former ol 
these days, indeed, we had the satisfaction to see a French 
gun-brig destroyed by one of our light cruizers, a small 
schooner, off the harbour of St. Jean de Luz. She had 
lain there, as it appeared, for some time, and apprehensive 
of falling into our hands, had ventured, on that day, to put 
to sea. But being observed by a brig, and the schooner 
above alluded to, she was immediately followed, and after 
an engagement, of nearly an hour's duration with the 
latter, she blew up. Whether her crew had abandoned 
her previous to the explosion, I had no opportunity to 
discover. 

Among ourselves, in the meanwhile, and throughout 
the different divisions contiguous to us, a silence, like that 
of a calm . before a storm, prevailed. Each man looked 
as if he knew that an attack was impending, but few con- 
jectures were hazarded touching the precise moment of its 
occurrence. On the evening of the ninth, however, all 
doubt was at length removed. We were assembled at. 
parade, or rather the parade was dismissed ; but the band 
continuing to play, the officers were waiting in groups 
about the tent of the colonel, when an aid-de-camp riding 
up, informed us that the whole army was to advance upon 
the morrow. The corps to which I belonged, was ap- 
pointed to carry the village of Uroque, a place containing 
perhaps an hundred houses and a church, by assault ; for 
which purpose, we were to take post, an hour before day- 
break, on the high road, and close to the advanced senfi- 



92 

nels. Of the disposition of other corps we knew nothing, 
and we were perfectly satisfied with the part allotted to 
ourselves. 

As soon as the aid-de-camp departed, we began, as peo- 
ple so circumstanced generally begin, to discuss the pro- 
priety of our general's arrangements. On the present 
occasion, we were more than usually convinced of the 
sagacity and profound skill of the noble lord. Our corps 
had been selected, in preference to many others, for a ser- 
vice, perilous, it is true, but therefore honourable. This 
showed that he knew at least on whom he could depend, 
and we, of course, were determined to prove that his con- 
fidence had not been misplaced. Alas, the vanity of men 
in all callings and professions, when each regards himself 
as infinitely superior to those around him ! 

Having passed an hour or two in this manner, we depar- 
ted, each to his own tent, in order to make the necessary 
preparations for the morrow. These were speedily com- 
pleted. Our baggage was packed; our horses and mules, 
which, for the sake of shelter, had been kept, during the 
last ten days, at certain houses in the rear, were called in, 
and provisions enough for one day's consumption, were 
put up in a haversack. With this and one cloak, we di- 
rected a Portuguese lad — a servant of Graham — to follow 
the battalion, upon a little poney which we kept chiefly 
for such uses, and finally, having renewed our directions, 
the one to the other, respecting the conduct of the survivor 
in case either of us should fall, we lay down. 

It was quite dark when I arose. Our fires had all burn- 
ed out, there was no moon in the heavens, and the stars 
were in a great measure obscured by clouds ; but we 
took our places instinctively, and in profound silence. On 
these occasions, I have been always struck with the great 
coolness of the women. You seldom hear a single ex- 



93 

pression of alarm escape them; indeed, they become, 
probably from habit, and from the example of others, to 
the full as indifferent to danger as their husbands. I fear, 
too, that the sort of life they lead, after they have for any 
length of time followed an army in the field, sadly unsexes 
them, (if I may be permitted to coin such a word for their 
benefit,) at least, I recollect but one instance in which any 
symptoms of real sorrow were shown, even by those whom 
the fate of a battle has rendered widows. Sixty women 
only being permitted to accompany a battalion, they are, 
of course, perfectly secure of obtaining as many husbands 
as they may choose ; and hence, few widows of soldiers 
continue in a state of widowhood for any unreasonable 
time ; so far, indeed, they are a highly favoured class of 
female society. 

The column being formed, and the tents and baggage 
so disposed, as that, in case of a repulse, they might be 
carried to the rear without confusion or delay, the word 
was given to march. As our route lay over ground ex- 
tremely uneven, we moved forward for a while slowly, 
and with caution ; till, having gained the high road, we 
were enabled to quicken our pace. We proceeded by it, 
perhaps a mile, till the watch-fire of a German piquet 
was seen ; when the order to halt being passed quietly 
from rank to rank, we grounded our arms, and sat down 
upon the green banks by the road side. Here we were 
to remain, till a gun on our left should sound the signal of 
attack, and objects should be distinctly visible. 

Men are very differently affected at different times, 
even though the situations in which they may be cast bear 
a strong affinity to one another. On the present occasion, 
!or example, I perfectly recollect, that hardly any feeling 
of seriousness pervaded my own mind, nor, if I might 
judge from appearances, the minds of those around me, 



94 

Much conversation, on the contrary, passed among us ia 
whispers, but it was all of as light a character, as if the 
the business in which we were about to engage was mere 
amusement, and not that kind of play in which men stake 
their lives. Anxiety and restlessness, indeed, universally 
prevailed. We looked to the east, and watched the gra- 
dual approach of dawn with eager interest ; but it was 
with that degree of interest which sportsmen feel on the 
morning of the twelfth of August, — or rather, perhaps, like 
that of a child in a box at Co vent- Garden, when it expects 
every moment to see the stage-curtain lifted. We were 
exceedingly anxious to begin the fray, but we were quite 
confident of success. 

In the meanwhile, such dispositions were made as the 
circumstances of the case appeared to require. Three 
companies, consisting of about one hundred and fifty men, 
were detached, under the command of a field-officer, a little 
to the right and left of the road, for the purpose of sur- 
prising, if possible, two of the enemy's piquets, which 
were there posted. The remaining seven, forming again 
into column, as day broke, extended their front so as to 
cover the whole breadth of the road, and made ready to 
rush at once, in what is called double quick time, upon 
the village. That it was strongly barricaded, and filled 
with French infantry, we were quite aware ; but, by 
making our first attack a rapid one, we calculated on reach- 
ing the barricade before the enemy should be fully aware 
of the movement. 

We stood, perhaps half an hour, after these dispositions 
were effected, before the signal was given, the dawn gradu- 
ally brightening over the whole of the sky. Now we could 
observe that we had diverged in some degree from the 
main road, and occupied with our little column a lane, hem- 
med in on both sides by high hedges. Presently we were 



95 

able to remark that the lane again united itself with the 
road about a hundred yards in front of us ; then the 
church and houses of the village began to show through 
the darkness, like rocks or mounds ; by and by the stubble 
fields immediately around could be distinguished from 
green meadows ; then the hedge-rows which separated one 
field from another became visible. x\nd now the signal- 
gun was fired. It was immediately repeated by a couple 
©f nine-pounders, which were stationed in a field adjoining 
to the lane where we stood ; and the battle began. 

The three detached companies did their best to surprise 
the French piquets, but without success, the French troops 
being far too watchful to be easily taken. They drove 
them in, how r ever, in gallant style, whilst the little column, 
according to the preconcerted plan, pressed forward. In 
the meantime, the houses and barricade of Uroque were 
thronged with defenders, who saluted us as we approached 
with a sharp discharge of musketry, which, however, was 
more harmless than might have been expected. A few men 
and one officer fell, the latter being shot through the heart. 
He uttered but a single word — the name of his favourite 
comrade, and expired. On our part w r e had no time for 
tiring, but rushed .on to the charge ; whilst the nine-poun- 
ders, already alluded to, cleared the barricade with grape 
and cannister. In two minutes we had reached its base ; 
in an instant more we were on the top of it ; when the 
enemy, panic-struck at the celerity of our movements, 
abandoned their defences and fled. We followed them 
through the street of the place, as far as its extremity, but, 
having been previously commanded to proceed no farther, 
we halted here, and they escaped to the high grounds 
beyond. 

The position now attacked was that famous one in front 
©f St. Jean de Luz, than which, Lord Wellington himself 



96 



has said, that he never beheld any more formidable. II 
extended for about three miles, along the ridge of a rising 
ground, the ascent of which was, for the most part, cover- 
ed with thick wood, and intersected by deep ditches. In ad- 
dition to these natural defences, it was fortified with the 
utmost care, Mareschal Soult having begun to throw up 
upon it redoubts and breast-works, even before our army 
had crossed the Bidaossa, and having devoted the whole ol 
that month which we had spent above Andage, in com- 
pleting his older works and erecting new. Towards our 
left, indeed, that is, towards the right of the enemy, and in 
the direction of the village which we had just carried, these 
works presented so commanding an appearance, that our 
gallant leader deemed it unwise to attempt any serious 
impression upon them ; and hence, having possessed our- 
selves of Uroque, we were directed to attempt nothing 
farther, but to keep it at all hazards, and to make from 
time to time a demonstration of advancing. This was 
done, in order to deter Soult from detaching any of his 
corps to the assistance of his left, which it was the object 
of Lord Wellington to turn, and which, after twelve hours' 
severe fighting, he succeeded in turning. 

As soon as we had cleared the place of its defenders, 
we set about entrenching ourselves, in case any attempt 
should be made to retake the village. For this purpose, 
we tore up the barricade erected by the French, consisting 
of casks filled with earth, manure, and rubbish, and roll- 
ing them down to the opposite end of the town, we soon 
threw up a parapet for our own defence. The enemy, in 
the meanwhile, began to collect a dense mass of infantry 
upon the brow of the hill opposite, and turning a battery 
of three pieces of cannon upon us, they swept the street 
with round shot. These, whizzing along, soon caused 
the walls and roofs of the houses to crumble into ruins ; 



97 

but neither they, nor the shells which from time to tim< 
burst about us, did any considerable execution. By avoid- 
ing conspicuous places, indeed, we managed to keep well 
out of reach ; and hence the chief injury done by the can- 
nonade was that which befell the proprietors of houses. 

We found in the village a good store of brown bread, 
and several casks of brandy. The latter of these were 
instantly knocked on the head, and the spirits poured out 
into the street, as the only means of hindering our men 
from getting drunk, and saving ourselves from a defeat ; 
but the former was divided amongst them ; and even the 
black bread, allowed to the French soldiers, was a treat 
to us, because we had tasted nothing except biscuits, and 
these none of the most fresh, for the last three months. 
We were not, however, allowed much time to regale our- 
selves. 

It was now about eleven o'clock, and the enemy had as 
yet made no attack upon us. We could perceive, indeed, 
from the glancing of bayonets through the wood in front, 
that troops were there mustering ; and as the country was 
well adapted for skirmishing, being a good deal intersected 
with ditches, hedges and hollow ways, it was deemed pru- 
dent to send out three or four companies to watch their 
movements. Among the companies thus sent out was 
that to which I belonged. We took a direction to the left 
of the village, and being noticed by the enemy's artillery, 
were immediately saluted with a shower of round shot and 
shells. Just at this moment a tumbril or ammunition- 
waggon coming up, a shell from a French mortar fell upon 
it ; it exploded, and two unfortunate artillery-drivers, who 
chanced to be sitting upon it, were hurled into the air. I 
looked at them for a moment after they fell. One was 
quite dead, and dreadfully mangled; the other was as 
black as a coal, but he was alive, and groaned heavily 

9 



98 

He lifted his head as we passed, and wished us success. 
What became of him afterwards, I know not, but there 
appeared little chance of his recovery, 

Having gained a hollow road, somewhat in advance of 
the village, we found ourselves in connexion with a line of 
skirmishers thrown out by Colonel Halket from his corps 
of light Germans, and in some degree sheltered from the 
cannonade. But our repose was not of long continuance. 
The enemy having collected a large force of tirailleurs, 
advanced, with loud shouts and every show of determina- 
tion. To remain Where we were, was to expose ourselves 
to the risk of being* Cut to pieces in a hollow way, the 
banks of which were higher than our heads, and perfectly 
perpendicular ; the question therefore was, should we 
retire or advance? Of course, the former idea was not 
entertained for a moment. We clambered up the face of 
the bank with some difficulty ; and, replying to the shouts 
of the French with a similar species of music, we press- 
ed on. 

When I looked to my right and to my left at this moment, 
I was delighted with the spectacle which that glance pre- 
sented. For the benefit of your more peaceable readers, 
I may as well mention, that troops sent out to skirmish, 
advance or retire in files ; each file, or pair of men, keep- 
ing about ten yards from the files on both sides of them. 
On the present occasion, I beheld a line of skirmishers, 
extending nearly a mile in both directions, all keeping in a 
sort of irregular order ; and all firing, independently of one 
another, as the opportunity of a good aim prompted each 
of them. On the side of the French, again, all was appa- 
rent confusion ; but the French tirailleurs are by no means 
in disorder when they appear so. They are admirable 
skirmishers ; and they gave our s people, this day, a good 
deal of employment, before they again betook themselves 



99 

so the heights. They did not, however, succeed, as I sus- 
pect was their design, in drawing us so far from the village 
as to expose us to the fire of their masked batteries ; but 
having followed them across a few fields only, we once 
more retired to our hollow road. 

It was quite evident, from the numerous solid bodies of 
troops, which kept their ground along the enemy's line, 
that the plan of Lord Wellington had been perfectly suc- 
cessful ; and that no force had been sent from thought of 
Soult's army to the assistance of his left. The continual 
roar of musketry and of cannon, which was kept up in 
that direction, proved, at the same time, that a more serious 
struggle was going on there than any to which we were 
exposed. It was no rapid, but intermitting rattle, like that 
which we and our opponents from time to time produced ; 
but an unceasing volley, as if men were able to fire without 
loading, or took no time to load. At length Soult appeared 
to have discovered that he had little to dread upon his 
right. About three o'clock, we could, accordingly, observe 
a heavy column, of perhaps ten or twelve thousand men, 
beginning its march to the left ; and at the same instant, as 
if to cover the movement, the enemy's skirmishers again 
advanced. Again we met them, as we had done before, 
and again drove them in ; when, instead of falling back to 
the hollow way, we lay down behind a hedge, half-way be- 
tween the village and the base of their position. Fr©m 
this they made several attempts to dislodge us, but without 
effect, and here we remained till the approach of darkness 
put an end to the battle. 

The sun had set about an hour, when the troops in ad- 
vance were every where recalled ; and I and my compa- 
nions returned to the village. Upon it we found that the 
enemy still kept up an occasional lire of cannon ; and hence, 
that the houses, which were extremely thin, furnished no 



100 

sufficient shelter for the troops. It was accordingly deter- 
mined to canton the corps, for the night, in the church, 
the walls of that being of more solid materials, and proof 
against the violence of at least field artillery. Thither, 
therefore, we all repaired, and here I had the satisfaction to 
find that our Portuguese follower had arrived before us, so 
that a comfortable meal was prepared. Provisions and 
grog were likewise issued out to the men, and all was now 
jollity and mirth. 

The spectacle which the interior of the church of Uroque 
presented this night, was one which the pious founder of 
this fabric probably never calculated upon its presenting. 
Along the two side aisles, the arms of the battalion were 
piled, whilst the men themselves occupied the centre aisle. 
In the pulpit was placed the large drum and other musical 
instruments, whilst a party of officers took possession of 
a gallery erected at the lower extremity of the building. 
For our own parts, Graham and myself asserted a claim 
to the space around the altar, which, in an English church, 
is generally railed in, but which, in foreign churches, is 
distinguished from the rest of the chancel only by its ele- 
vation. Here we spread out our cold salt beef, our brown 
bread, our cheese, and our grog; and here we eat, and 
drank, in that state of excited feeling which attends every 
man who has gone safely through the perils of such a 
day. 

Nor was the wild nature of the spectacle around us dimi- 
nished by the gloomy and wavering light, which thirty or 
forty small rosin tapers cast over it. Of these, two or 
three stood beside us, upon the altar, whilst the rest were 
scattered about, by ones and twos, in different places, lea- 
ving every interval in a sort of shade, which gave a wider 
scope to the imagination than to the senses. Then the 
buzz of conversation, too, the frequent laugh and joke., 



101 

and, by and by, the song, as the grog began to circulate, 
all these combined to produce a scene too striking to be 
soon forgotten. 

As time passed on, all these sounds became gradually 
more and more faint. The soldiers, wearied with their 
day's work, dropped asleep, one after another, and I, having 
watched them for a while, stretched out like so many corpses 
fupon the paved floor of the church, wrapped my cloak 
round me, and prepared to follow their example. I laid 
myself at the foot of the altar, and though the marble was 
not more soft than marble usually is, I slept as soundly 
upon it as if it had been a bed of down. 



9* 



CHAPTER IX. 



We had slept about four or five hours, and the short 
hours of the morning were beginning to be lengthened, 
when our slumbers were disturbed by the arrival of a mes- 
senger from the advanced piquets, who came to inform us 
that the enemy were moving. As we had lain down in 
our clothes, with all Our accoutrements on, we were under 
arms, and in column, in five seconds. It was not, howe- 
ver, deemed necessary that any advance on our part should 
be instantly attempted. We remained, on the contrary, 
quiet in the church; but standing in our ranks, we were 
perfectly ready to march to any quarter where the sound of 
firing might bespeak our presence necessary. 

We had stood thus about half an hour, when a second 
messenger from the out-posts came in, from whom we 
learned, that a blue light had been thrown up within the 
the enemy's lines, and that their fires were all freshly 
trimmed. "Is it so 1" said some of our oldest veterans ; 
" then there will be no work for us to-day — they are re- 
treating ;" and so sure enough it proved. As soon as 
dawn began to appear, a patrol was sent forward, which 
returned immediately to state, that not a vestige of the 
French army was to be found. Their out-posts and sen- 
tries were withdrawn, their baggage was all gone, and the 
whole of the right wing had disappeared. 

The fact was, that Lord Wellington's scheme had suc- 
ceeded according to his expectations. The right of our 
army, after some very hard fighting, turned the enemy's 
left ; took possession of most of his redoubts, and got 
into his rear; which compelled Marshal Soult, sorely 



103 

against his inclination, to abandon a position more tenable 
than any which he had yet occupied. Towards his right, 
indeed, as I have already mentioned, it would have been 
little short of madness seriously to have attacked him ; nor 
could his left have been broken, but for the skilful manoeu- 
vring on our part, which hindered any reinforcements from 
being sent to it. This object being attained, however, to 
remain, at least with safety, even for a single day longer, 
on his ground, was impossible, and hence Soult only show- 
ed his wisdom and sound judgment by seizing the first fa- 
vourable opportunity to retire. 

The intelligence of the enemy's retreat was received, as 
such intelligence is usually received, with great satisfac- 
tion. Not that we felt the smallest disinclination to renew 
the battle — quite the reverse ; but there is something in the 
idea of pursuing a flying enemy, far more exhilarating than 
in any other idea to which the human mind gives harbour ; 
and this we experienced, on the present occasion, to its 
full extent. We had scarcely learned that the French 
troops had deserted their works, when an order arrived to 
advance ; and that we prepared to obey with the most 
hearty good will. 

Whilst the men were swallowing a hasty meal, prepara- 
tory to the commencement of the march, I went, with two 
or three others, to visit the spot where we had deposited 
such of our messmates as fell in the battle of yesterday. 
It is not often that a soldier is so fortunate — if, indeed, the 
thing be worth estimating as fortunate — as to be laid in his 
last rest in consecrated ground. Our gallant comrades en- 
joyed that privilege on the present occasion. The soldiers 
had collected them from the various spots where they lay. 
and brought them in, with a sort of pious respect, to the 
church-yard. Here they dug a grave — one grave, it is 
true, for more than one body ; but what boots it 1 and hero 



104 

they entombed them, carefully tearing up the green sod, 
and carefully replacing it upon the hillock. For my own 
part, I had little time to do more than wish rest to their 
souls ; for the corps was already in motion, and in five 
minutes we were in the line of march. 

It was as yet quite dark, consequently objects could not 
be distinguished at any considerable distance ; but the 
farther we proceeded, the more strongly the day dawned 
upon us. Having cleared the village, we came to a bridge 
thrown across a little brook, for the possession of which a 
good deal of fighting had taken place towards evening on 
the day before. Here we found several French soldiers 
lying dead, as well as one of our own men, who had ven- 
tured too far in pursuit of the enemy. A little way beyond 
the bridge, again, and to the left of the road, stood a neat 
chateau of some size. This our advanced party was or- 
dered to search ; and, as I chanced to be in command of 
the detachment, the office of conducting the search devolv- 
ed upon me. 

I found the house furnished after the French fashion, and 
the furniture in a state of perfect preservation ; nor did I 
permit the slightest injury to be done to it by my men. 
The only article, indeed, which I was guilty of plundering, 
was a grammar of the Spanish language, thus entitled, 
" Grammaire et Dietionnaire Francois et Espagnol — Nou- 
vellement Revu, Corrige et Augmente par Monsieur De 
Maunory : Suivant PXJsage de la Cour d'Espagne." Upon 
one of the boards is written, appariient a Lassalle Briguette, 
LassaUee. The book is still in my possession, and as our 
countries are now at peace, I take this opportunity of in- 
forming Mr. Briguette, that I am quite ready to restore to 
him his property, provided he will favour me with his ad- 
dress. Of course, Monsieur Briguette, like all the rest of 
the civilized world, reads Maga regularly. 



105 

The room from which I took the volume just alluded i* 
was the library, and by no means badly stored with books, 
I had not, however, much time to decipher the title pages, 
for, independently of the necessity under which I lay of 
pushing forward as soon as I had ascertained that none of 
the enemy were secreted here, my attention was attracted 
by a mass of letters scattered over the floor. The reader 
may judge of my surprise, when, on lifting one to examine 
its contents, I found it to be in the hand-writing of my own 
father, and addressed to myself. It was of a later date, 
too, than any communication which I had received from 
home ; and beside it were lying about twenty others, di- 
rected to different officers in the same division with my- 
self. This led me into a secret. The house in which 1 
now stood had been the official head-quarters of Marshal 
Soult. A courier, who was bringing letters from Lord 
Wellington's head-quarters, had been cut off by a patrole 
of the enemy's cavalry ; and hence all our epistles, in- 
cluding sundry billet-doux from fair maidens at home, had 
been subjected to the scrutiny of the French marshal and 
his staff. 

Leaving other letters to their fate, I put my own in my 
pocket ; and, stuffing my volume of plunder into my bosom, 
pushed on. About a hundred yards in the rear of the 
chateau we arrived at the first line of works, consisting of 
a battery for two guns, with a deep trench in front of it. 
It was flanked, both on the right and left, by farm-houses, 
with a good deal of plantation, and a couple of garden 
walls, and would have cost our people no inconsiderable 
loss had we been fool-hardy enough to attack it. This 
battery was erected just upon the commencement of the 
vising ground. On passing it, we found ourselves on the 
face of a bare hill, about the length, perhaps, of Shooter's 
Hill, and not dissimilar in general appearance, the summit 



106 

of which was covered by three redoubts, connected the 
one with the other by two open batteries. As we passed 
these, we could not but remark to ourselves, how painful 
must have been the feelings of the French general, when 
he found himself compelled to abandon his works, without 
an opportunity being given of putting their utility to the 
proof; and we, of course, paid the compliments, which 
were his due, to our own leader, who, by his judicious 
arrangements, had rendered these works perfectly unpro- 
fitable. 

We had just cleared the entrenchments, when a cry 
arose from the rear, "make way for the cavalry." Our 
men accordingly inclined to the right of the road, when 
the 12th and 16th light dragoons rode past at a quick trot, 
sending out half a troop before them to feel their way. 
The object of this movement, as we afterwards found, 
was to hinder, if possible, the destruction of the bridge at 
St. Jean de Luz. But the attempt succeeded only in part, 
the enemy having already set fire to their train. 

"Push on, push on," was now the word. We accord- 
ingly quickened our pace, and reached St. Jean de Luz 
about nine o'clock ; but we were too late to secure a pas- 
sage of the Nivelle, the bridge being completely in ruins. 
Our cavalry had reached it only in time to see the mine 
exploded which the French troops had dug in its centre 
arch; and hence a halt became absolutely necessary, till 
the chasm thus created should be rilled up. The effect 
was remarkably striking. The whole of the first and fifth 
divisions, with the King's German legion, several brigades 
of Portuguese, and two divisions of Spanish troops, came 
pouring up, till the southern suburb of St. Jean de Luz was 
filled with armed men, to the number of, perhaps, twenty 
or thirty thousand. 

It is, probably, needless for me to say, that we found St. 
J ean de Luz, for the most part, abandoned by its inhabi- 



107 

tants. A few indeed remained ; and these consulting, an 
under such circumstances people are justified in consulting, 
their own safety only, welcomed us by waving their hand- 
kerchiefs from the windows, and shouting, Vivent les An- 
glois. Those who thus met us were, however, of the 
lowest description, all the gentry and municipality having 
fled ; though they, too, returned after a few days, and 
placed themselves under our protection. They were 
faithfully guarded against insult ; nor were our soldiers per- 
mitted to exact any thing from the inhabitants without pay- 
ing for it whatever was demanded. 

Whilst we were waiting till the bridge should be so far 
repaired as to permit the infantry to cross, I happened to 
stray a little from the main street, and beheld, in a lane 
which ran parallel with the river, a spectacle exceedingly 
shocking. I saw no fewer than fifty-three donkeys stand- 
ing with the sinews of the hinder legs cut through. On 
inquiring from an inhabitant the cause of this, he told me, 
that these poor brutes, being overloaded with the baggage 
of the French army, had knocked up; when the soldiers, 
rather than suffer them to fall into our hands in a servicea- 
ble condition, hamstrung them all. Why they were not 
merciful enough to shoot them, I know not; unless, indeed, 
they were apprehensive of causing an alarm among us by 
the report; but what their caution hindered we performed. 
The poor creatures were all shot dead ere we advanced. 

The town of St. Jean de Luz covers about as much 
ground, and, I should guess, contains about as many inha- 
bitants, as Carlisle or Canterbury. It is divided into two 
parts by the river Nivelle, which falls into the sea about a 
couple o^three miles below, at a village, or rather port, 
called Lecoa. Like other French towns of its size, St. 
Jean de Luz is not remarkable for its air of neatness ; but 
there is a good market-place in it, two or three churches, 



J 



108 

and a theatre. The Nivelle, where it flows through the 
city, may be about the width of the Eden, or the Isis ; it 
is rendered passable, and the two quarters of the city are 
connected, by a stone bridge of three arches; besides 
which, the stream itself is fordable, both for cavalry and 
infantry, at low water. When we came in this morning 
the tide was up, but it had been for some time on the turn ; 
and hence, in about a couple of hours, we were perfectly 
independent of the repairs. By this time, however, the 
broken arch had been united by means of planks and 
beams of wood ; but as the junction was none of the most 
firm, it was deemed prudent to send the troopers through 
the water, whilst the infantry only should cross by the 
bridge. Along with the cavalry was sent the artillery also : 
and thus, by noon, on the 11th of November, the whole 
of the left column had passed the Nivelle. 

We had hardly quitted St. Jean de Luz, when the 
weather, which during the entire morning had looked sus- 
picious, broke ; and a cold heavy rain began to fall. This 
lasted without any intermission till dark ; by which means 
our march became the reverse of agreeable, and we felt as 
if we would have given the enemy a safe-conduct as far as 
Bayonne, in return for a permission to halt, and dry our- 
selves before a fire. But of halting no hint was dropped, 
nor was it till our advanced-guard came up with the rear 
of the French army, posted in the village of Bedart, and 
the heights adjoining, that any check was given to our 
progress. As it was now late, the sun having set, and 
twilight coming on, it was not judged expedient to dislodge 
the enemy till morning; in consequence of which our 
troops were commanded to halt. There wasfchowever, 
no cover for them. Only a few cottages stood near the 
road, and the tents were at least fourteen miles in the rear ; 
this night was accordingly spent by most of us on the wet 
ground. 



109 

From the moment that the rain began to fall, wc ) 
marked that the Spanish, and in some instances the Portu- 
guese troops, setting the commands of their officers at 
defiance, left their ranks and scattered themselves over 
the face of the country. Whilst this was going on, I 
have good reason to believe that several horrible crimes 
were perpetrated. Of the French peasants, many, trusting 
to our proclamations, remained quietly in their houses ; 
these were in too many instances plundered and cruelly 
treated by the marauders, who were, I suspect, urged on 
to the commission of numerous atrocities, by a feeling 
far more powerful than the desire of plunder — revenge — 
a strong and overwhelming thirst of vengeance, drew, I 
am convinced, many to the perpetration of the most terri- 
ble deeds ; indeed, one case of the kind came under my 
own immediate notice, which I shall here relate. 

About three o'clock this afternoon, a temporary check 
took place in the line of march, when the corps to which 
I belonged was about two miles distant from Bedart. A 
brigade of cavalry alone was in front of us ; a Portuguese 
brigade, including one regiment of ca§adores, was in our 
rear. Whilst we were standing still in our places, the 
oa$adore regiment, breaking its ranks, rushed in a tumultu- 
ous manner towards two or three cottages on the left of the 
road. The officers with the utmost difficulty recalled 
them, but a few individuals, as the event proved, succeeded 
in their effort of insubordination. These, however, were 
not noticed at the time, and it was thought that all were 
where they ought to be. 

A little way, perhaps a couple of hundred yards in front, 
stood another French cottage, surrounded by a garden, 
and perfectly detached from all others. In about five 
minutes after order had been restored, we heard a female 
shriek come from that cottege. It was followed by the 

10 



no 

report of a musket, and ere we had time to reach the 
spot, another shot was fired. We ran up, and found a 
poor old French peasant lying dead at the bottom of the 
garden. A bullet had passed through his head, and his 
thin grey hairs were dyed with his own blood. We has- 
tened towards the house, and just as we neared the door, 
a ca§adore rushed out, and attempted to elude us. But 
he was hotly pursued and taken. When he was brought 
back, we entered the cottage, and to our horror, we 
saw an old woman, in all probability the wife of the aged 
peasant, lying dead in the kitchen. 

The desperate Portuguese pretended not to deny having 
perpetrated these murders. He seemed, on the contrary, 
wound up to a pitch of frenzy. " They murdered my 
father, they cut my mother's throat, and they ravished my 
sister," said he, " and I vowed at the time, that I would 
put to death the first French family that fell into my hands. 
You may hang me, if you will, but I have kept my oath, 
and I care not for dying." It is unnecessary to add that 
the man was hanged ; indeed, no fewer than eighteen 
Spanish and Portuguese soldiers were tucked up, in the 
course of this and the following days, to the branches of 
trees. But I could not at the time avoid thinking, that if 
any shadow of excuse for murder can be framed, the un- 
fortunate Portuguese who butchered this French family, 
deserves the benefit of it. 

I have v said that the greater part of the left column spent 
this night in no very comfortable plight, upon the wet 
ground. For ourselves, we were moved into what had 
once been a grass field, just at the base of the hill of Be- 
dart ; but which, with the tread of men's feet, and horses' 
hoofs, was now battered into mud. Here, with the utmost 
difficulty, we succeeded in lighting fires, round which we 



Ill 

crowded as we best might. But the rain still came down 
in torrents, and though our lad arrived shortly after with 
the cloaks, and rations of beef, and biscuit, and rum, were 
issued out to us, I cannot enumerate this among the nights 
of pure enjoyment, which my life, as a soldier, has fre- 
quently brought in my way. r 



CHAPTER X. 



When I awoke next morning, I found myself lying in a 
perfect puddle, beside the decaying embers of a fire. The 
rain had come down so incessantly, and with such violence 
during the night, that my cloak, though excellent of its 
kind, stood not out against it ; and I was now as thoroughly 
saturated with water as if I had been dragged through the 
Nivelle. Of course, my sensations were not of a very 
pleasant nature ; but I considered that I was far from sin- 
gular in my condition, and, like my comrades, I laughed at 
an evil for which there was no remedy. 

Having remained under arms till day had fully dawned, 
we began to make ready for a farther advance. When we 
lay down on the preceding evening, several brigades of 
French troops were in possession of the village of Bedart. 
These, of course, we laid our account with attacking ; but 
on sending forward a patrol, it was found that the village 
had been abandoned, and that Soult had fallen back to his 
entrenched camp, in front of Bayonne. Our parade was 
accordingly dismissed, and we remained in the same situa- 
tion for about four hours ; when the arrival of the tents 
and baggage invited us to make ourselves somewhat more 
comfortable. For this purpose the brigade was moved 
about a quarter of a mile to the left of the main road ; and 
there, on a skirt of turf comparatively sound and unbro- 
ken, the camp was pitched. 

In the immediate vicinity of the tents, stood a small 
farm-house, or rather a large cottage, containing three 
rooms and a kitchen. Hither a good many of the officers, 
and myself among the number, removed their canteens 



113 

and portmanteaus ; till no fewer than forty-live individual-. 
including servants as well as masters, found a temporal} 
.shelter under its roof. I am sure, after all, that I was noi 
more comfortable here than I should have been in my tent ; 
but 1 fancied that to sleep upon a bed once more, even 
though that bed was a French one, would prove a luxury : 
and I made the experiment. It is needless to add, tluu 
the bed contained whole hordes of living occupants besides 
myself; and that I presumed not again to dispute with 
them the possession of their ancient domain. 

From the 12th to the 17th of Nov. nothing occurred te 
myself, nor were any movements made by the left of the 
British army worthy of being repeated. The rain conti- 
nued with hardly any interruption during the whole of this 
time, rendering the cross roads utterly impassable for artil- 
lery, and holding out no prospect of fresh battle, or fresh 
adventures. It was, indeed, manifest, that the troops 
could not be kept much longer in the field, without mate- 
rial injury to their health, which began already to be threat- 
ened with dysentery and ague. Nor is it surprising, that 
the case should be so ; for the tents were not proof against 
showers so heavy and so incessant as those which fell ; 
and canvass, when once completely soaked, admits water 
to pass through like a sieve. The consequence was, that 
our men were never dry, and many began to exhibit symp- 
toms of the complaints above alluded to. 

Under these circumstances we received, with sincere 
rejoicing, an order in the evening of the 17th, to strike 
our tents at dawn next morning, and to march into winter- 
quarters. The rain descended, however, in such torrents, 
mat though a temporary inconvenience promised to lead to 
permanent comfort, it was deemed prudent to delay fulfil- 
ling that order, for at least some hours. We accordingly 
remained quiet till about one o'clock ill the afternoon of 

10* 



114 

the 18th, when the weather breaking up, and the sun shi- 
ning out, our camp was struck, and we turned our faces 
towards the cantonments which had been allotted to us. 

Having cleared the few fields which intervened between 
the situation of the camp and the high road, we left Bedart 
behind, and took a retrogade direction towards St. Jean de 
Luz. We had not, however, proceeded above five or six 
miles, and were still a full league distant from the town, 
when we filed off by a narrow cross road towards the left, 
and made for a piece of elevated country, over which about 
half a dozen farm-houses were scattered. These were 
assigned to the corps to which I belonged. We accord- 
ingly halted on a sort of common, near the centre of them, 
and having cast lots as to which house should fall to the 
share of the different companies, Graham, myself, and 
two others, with about one hundred men, took possession 
of one, with which we were perfectly satisfied. 

It would be difficult for an ordinary reader to form any 
adequate notion of the extreme satisfaction which soldiers 
experience, when first they establish themselves in winter- 
quarters. As long as the weather continues fine, and sum- 
mer suns shed their influence over it, there are, indeed, 
lew places more agreeable than a camp. But it is not so 
after the summer has departed. I have already hinted, 
that against heavy and continued rains, a tent supplies but 
a very inadequate shelter. A tent is, moreover, but a nar- 
row chamber, in which it is not easy so much as to stand 
upright, excepting in one spot ; and where all opportunity 
of locomotion is denied. Then it furnishes little protection 
against cold, to fight a fire within being impossible on ac- 
count of the smoke ; and hence the only means of keep- 
ing yourself warm is, to wrap your cloak or a blanket about 
you, and to lie down. Occasionally, indeed, I have seen 
red-hot shot employed as heaters ; but the kind of warmth 



115 

which arises from heated iron is, at least to me, hardly 
more agreeable than that which is produced by charcoal. 
In a word, however enthusiastic a man may be in his pro- 
fession, he begins, about the end of October or the begin- 
ning of November, to grow heartily tired of campaigning ; 
and looks forward to a few week's rest, and a substan- 
tial protection against cold and damps, with almost as much 
pleasure as he experiences when the return of spring 
calls him once more into the field. 

The farm-houses in the south of France, like those in 
the neighbouring country of Spain, are rarely provided 
with fire-places in any other apartment besides the kitchen. 
It is, indeed, customary for families to live during the win- 
ter months, entirely with their servants ; and hence the 
want of a fire-place in the parlour is not felt any more than 
in the bed-rooms. I observed, likewise, that hardly any 
maison of the kind was furnished with glazed windows ; 
wooden lattices being almost universally substituted. 
These, during the summer months, are kept open all day, 
and closed only at night ; and I believe that the extreme 
mildness of the climate renders an open window, at such 
seasons, very agreeable. On the present occasion, how- 
ever, we anticipated no slight annoyance from the absence 
of these two essential matters, a chimney and a window, in 
our room ; and we immediately set our wits to work for 
me removal of both causes of complaint. 

Both Graham's servant and my own chanced to be ex- 
ceedingly ingenious fellows; the former, in particular, 
could, to use a vulgar phrase, turn his hand to anything. 
Under his directions we set a party of men to work, and 
knocking a hole through one corner of our room, we spee- 
dily converted it into a fire-place. To give vent to the 
smoke, we took the trouble to build an external chimney, 
carrying it up as high as the roof of the house ; and our 



116 

pride and satisfaction were neither of them trifling, when 
we found that it drew to admiration. I mean not to com- 
mend the masonry for its elegance, nor to assert that the 
sort of buttress now produced, added, in any degree, to the 
general appearance of the house ; but it had the effect of 
rendering "our apartment exceedingly comfortable, and 
that was the sole object which we had in view. 

Having thus provided for our warmth, the next thing to 
be done was to manufacture such a window as might sup- 
ply us with light, and, at the same time, resist the weather. 
For this purpose we lifted a couple of lattices from their 
hinges ; and having cut out four pannels in each, we 
covered the spaces with white paper soaked in oil. The 
light thus admitted was not, indeed, very brilliant, but it 
was sufficient for all our purposes ; and we found, when 
the storm again returned, that our oil-paper stood out 
against it stoutly. Then, having swept our floor, un- 
packed and arranged the contents of our canteen, and pro- 
vided good dry hay-sacks for our couches, we felt as if the 
whole world could have supplied no better or more desira- 
ble habitation. 

To build the chimney, and construct the window, fur- 
nished occupation enough for one day ; the next was spent 
in cutting wood, and laying in a store of fuel against the 
winter. In effecting this, it must be confessed, that we 
were not over fastidious as to the source from which it was 
derived ; and hence a greater number of fruit trees were 
felled and cut to pieces, than, perhaps, there was any posi- 
tive necessity to destroy. But it is impossible to guard 
against every little excess, when troops have established 
themselves in an enemy's country ; and the French have 
just cause of thankfulness, that so little comparative devas- 
tation marked the progress of our armies. Their own, it 
is well known, were not remarkable for their orderly con- 
duct in such countries as they overran. 



117 

1 have dwelt upon these little circumstances longer, 
perhaps, than their insignificance in the eyes of my rea- 
der may warrant; but I could not help it. There is no 
period of my life on which I look back with more unmixed 
pleasure, than that which saw me, for the first .time, set 
down in winter quarters. And hence every trifling event 
connected with it, however unimportant to others, appears 
the reverse of unimportant to me. And such, I believe, 
is universally the case, when a man undertakes to be his 
own biographer. Tilings and occurrences which, to the 
world at large, seem wholly undeserving of record, his 
own feelings prompt him to detail with unusual minute- 
ness, even though he may be conscious all the while that 
he is entering upon details which his readers will scarcely 
take the trouble to follow. 

Having thus rendered our quarters as snug as they were 
capable of being made, my friend and myself procseded 
daily into the adjoining woods in search of game ; and as 
the frost set in, we found them amply stored, not only with 
hares and rabbits, but with cocks, snipes, and other birds 
of passage. We were not, however, so fortunate as to fall 
in with any of the wild boars which are said to frequent 
these thickets, though we devoted more than one morning 
to the search ; but we managed to supply our own table, 
and the table of several of our comrades, with a very agreea- 
ble addition to the lean beef which was issued out to us. 
Nor were other luxuries wanting. The peasantry, having 
recovered their confidence, returned in great numbers to 
their homes, and seldom failed to call at our mansion once 
Of twice a- week, with winfljpresh bread, cyder, and bottled 
beer ; by the help of which, we continued to fare well, as 
long as our fast-diminishing stock of money lasted. I sa\ 
diminishing stock of money. for Ofl yet no addition had 



118 

been made to that which each of us brought with him from 
England ; and though th@ pay of the army was now six 
months in arrear, but faint hopes were entertained of any 
immediate donative. 

It was not, however, among regimental and other infe- 
rior officers alone, that this period of military inaction was 
esteemed' and acted upon as one of enjoyment. Lord 
Wellington's fox-hounds were unkennelled ; and he him- 
self took the field regularly twice a- week, as if he had been 
a denizen of Leicestershire, or any other sporting county 
in England. I need not add, that few packs, in any coun- 
ty, could be better attended. Not that the horses of all 
the huntsmen were of the best breed, or of the gayest ap- 
pearance ; but what was wanting in individual splendour, 
was made up by the number of Nimrods ; nor would it be 
easy to discover a field more fruitful in laughable occur- 
rences, which no man more heartily enjoyed than the gal- 
lant Marquis himself. When the hounds were out, he 
was no longer the commander of the forces ; the General- 
in-chief of three nations, and the representative of three 
sovereigns ; but the gay, merry, country gentleman, who 
rode at everything, and laughed as loud when he fell him- 
self, as when he witnessed the fall of a brother-sportsman. 

Thus passed about twenty days, during the greater num- 
ber of which the sky was clear, and the air cold and bra- 
cing. Occasionally, indeed, we varied our sporting life by 
visits to St. Jean de Luz, and other towns in the rear ; and 
by seeking out old friends in other divisions of the army. 
Nor were we altogether without military occupation. Here 
and there a redoubt was throw* up, for the purpose of ren- 
dering our position doubly secure ; whilst the various bri- 
gades of each division relieved one another in taking the 
outpost duty. A trifling skirmish or two, tended likewise 
to keep us alive ; but these were followed by no move- 



119 

ment of importance, nor were they very fatal either to the 
enemy or ourselves. 

The position which Lord Wellington had taken up, ex- 
tended from the village of Bedart on the left to a place 
called Garret's House on the right. It embraced various 
other villages, such as that of Arcanques, Gautfyong, &c. 
&c, between these points, and kept the extremities of the 
line at a distance of perhaps six or seven miles from each 
other. To a common observer it certainly had in it nothing 
imposing, or calculated to give the idea of great natural 
strength. On the left, in particular, our troops, when 
called into the field, occupied a level plain ; wooded in- 
deed, but very little broken ; whilst at different points in 
the centre there were passes, easy of approach, not defen- 
sible in any extraordinary degree. But its strength was 
well tried, as I shall take occasion shortly to relate, and 
the issue of the trial proved that no error had been com- 
mitted in its selection. 

Of the manner in which the right and centre columns 
were disposed, I knew but little. The left column consist- 
ing of the first and fifth divisions ; of two or three brigades 
of Portuguese infantry, one brigade of light and one of 
heavy cavalry was thus posted : The town of St. Jean de 
Luz, in which Lord Wellington had fixed his quarters, 
was occupied by three or four battalions of guards ; its 
suburbs were given up to such corps of the German legion 
as were attached to the first division. In and about the 
town, the light cavalry was likewise quartered ; whilst the 
heavy was sent back to Andage and the villages near it, on 
account of the facility of procuring forage, which there ex- 
isted. The Spaniards again had fallen back as far as Irun, 
and were not brought up during the remainder of the win- 
ter ; but the Portuguese regiments were scattered, as we 
were scattered, among a number of detached cottages near 



120 

the road. In the village of Bedart was posted the fifth 
division, with three or four pieces of field artillery, and the 
men and horses attached to them ; and to it, the duty of 
watching the enemy, and keeping possession of the ground 
on which the piquets stood, was committed. Thus along 
the line of the high-road was housed a corps of about fif- 
teen thousand infantry, twelve hundred cavalry, and a due 
proportion of artillery ; all under the immediate command 
of Sir John Hope. 

In direct communication with the head of this column, 
was the light division, under the command of Major-General 
Brown Allen. It consisted of the 52d, 43d, and 95th regi- 
ments, of a brigade or two of cacadores, and mustered in 
all about four or five thousand bayonets. These occupied 
the church and village of Arcanques, situated upon a rising 
ground, and of considerable natural strength. Beyond this 
division again, lay the 4th ; in connexion with which were 
the 3d, the 7th, and the 2d divisions, whilst the 6th took 
post a little in the rear, and acted as a reserve, in case a 
reserve should be wanting. 

I have said that Lord Wellington's head-quarters were 
in the town of St. Jean de Luz. Here also Sir John 
Hope, and several generals of division and of brigade, es- 
tablished themselves ; and here all the general staff of the 
army was posted. Of course the place was kept in a state 
of warlike gaiety, such as it had not probably witnessed be- 
fore, at least in modern times ; but every thing was done 
which could be done to conciliate the affections of the in- 
habitants ; nor was the slightest outrage or riot permitted. 
Such is the manner in which the British army was disposed 
of, from the 18th of November, when it first went into 
cantonments, till the 9th of December, when it was found 
necessary once more to take the field. 



CHAPTER XI. 

1 had been out with my gun during the whole of the 8th 
of December, and returned at a late hour in the evening, 
not a little weary with wandering, when the first intelligence 
communicated to me was, that the corps had received or- 
ders to be under arms at an early hour next morning, when 
the whole of the army should advance. In a former chap- 
ter, I have hinted, that a continued tract of rainy weather 
drove Lord Wellington earlier than he had designed, and 
against his inclination, into winter-quarters. The conse- 
quence was, that the position of the army was not in every 
respect to his mind. The right, in particular, was too far 
thrown back ; and the course of the Nivelle interfered in a 
very inconvenient degree with the communication between 
it and the left. We were accordingly given to understand, 
that the object of our present movement was merely to 
facilitate the crossing of that river by Sir Rowland Hill's 
corps, and that as soon as this object was attained, we 
should be permitted to return in peace to our comfortable 
quarters. 

In consequence of this information, Graham and myself 
made fewer preparations than we had been in the habit of 
making on other and similar occasions. Instead of pack- 
ing up our baggage, and ordering out our sumpter-pony and 
faithful Portuguese, as we had hitherto done, we left every- 
thing in our apartment, in its ordinary condition. Strict 
charges were indeed given to the servants, that a cheerful 
tire and a substantial meal should be prepared against our 
return in the evening ; but we put up neither food nor 
clothes for immediate use, in full expectation that such 
tilings would not be required. 

11 



122 

The night of the 8th passed quietly over, and I arose 
about two hours before dawn on the 9th, perfectly fresh, 
and, like those around me, in high spirits. We had been 
so long idle, that the near prospect of a little fighting, in- 
stead of creating gloomy sensations, was viewed with sin- 
cere delight ; and we took our places, and began our 
march towards the high-road, in silence, it is true, but 
with extreme good will. There we remained stationary 
till the day broke ; when the word being given to advance, 
we pointed forward in the direction of Bayonne. 

The brigade to which I belonged took post at the head 
of the 1st division, and immediately in the rear of the 5th. 
This situation afforded to me, on several occasions, as the 
inequalities of the road placed me, from time to time, on 
the summit of an eminence, very favourable opportunities 
of beholding the whole of the warlike mass, which was 
moving ; nor is it easy to imagine a more imposing or more 
elevating spectacle. The entire left wing of the army ad- 
vanced, in a single continuous column, by the main road, 
and covered, at the most moderate computation, a space of 
four miles. As far, indeed, as the eye could reach, no- 
thing was to be seen except swarms of infantry, clothed 
not only in scarlet, but in green, blue, and brown uni- 
forms ; whilst here and there a brigade of four or six guns 
occupied a vacant space between the last files of one divi- 
sion and the first of another. The rear of all came to the 
cavalry ; but of their appearance I was unable accurately 
to judge, they were so distant. 

We had proceeded about five miles, and it was now 
seven o'clock, when, our advanced guard falling in with 
the French piquets, a smart skirmfsn-began. It was 
really a beautiful sight. The enemy made, it is true, no 
very determined stand, but they gave not up a rood of 
ground, without exchanging a few shots with their assail- 



123 

ants ; who pressed forward, vigorously indeed, but with 
all the caution and circumspection which mark the advance 
of a skilful skirmisher. The column, in the meanwhile, 
moved slowly but steadily on ; nor was it once called 
upon, during the whole of the day, to deploy into line. 

When the light troops of an army are engaged, as ours 
were this morning, the heavy infantry is necessitated to 
march at a slow rate ; whilst, ever and anon, a short halt 
or check takes place. These halts occurred to-day with 
unusual frequency. The fact, I believe, was, that Lord 
Wellington had no desire to bring his left into determined 
action at all. This object was fully attained as long as he 
kept the right of the enemy in a state of anxiety and irreso- 
lution, but the ground which we gained was in no degree 
important to the furtherance of the sole design which he 
had in view. Of course, the tardiness of our motions 
gave a better opportunity of watching the progress of those 
connected with us ; nor have I ever beheld a field-day at 
home, more regularly and more elegantly gone through, 
than this trifling affair of the ninth of December. 

It was getting somewhat late, perhaps it might be three 
or four o'clock in the afternoon, when our column, having 
overcome all opposition, halted on some rising ground, 
about three miles from the walls of Bayonne. From this 
point we obtained a perfect view of the out-works of that 
town, as well as of the formidable line of fortifications which 
Soult had thrown up, along the course of the Adour ; but 
of the city itself, we saw but little, on account of several 
groves of lofty elm and other trees, which intervened. It 
will readily be imagined that we turned our glasses towards 
the entrenched camp, with feelings very different from 
those which actuate an ordinary observer of the face of a 
strange country. That the French marshal had been at 
work upon these lines, not only from the moment of his 



*&*» 



124 

last defeat, but from the very first day of his assuming the 
command of the army of Spain, we were quite aware ; and 
hence we were by no means surprised at beholding such 
an obstacle presented to our farther progress in France. 
But I cannot say that the sight cast even a damp upon our 
usual confidence. We knew that whatever could be done 
to render these mighty preparations useless, our gallant 
general would effect ; and perhaps we were each of us 
vain enough to believe, that nothing could resist our own 
individual valour. Be that as it may, though we freely ac- 
knowledged that many a brave fellow must find a grave ere 
these works could come into our possession, we would 
have advanced to the attack at the instant, not only with- 
out reluctance, but with the most perfect assurance of 
success. 

The sound of firing had now gradually subsided ; the 
enemy having withdrawn within their entrenchments, and 
our skirmishers being called in to join their respective 
corps. The left column, dividing itself according to its 
brigades, had taken post along a ridge of high ground ; 
and our men, piling their arms, set about lighting fires in 
all directions ; when I wandered from the corps, as my in- 
variable custom was, in search of adventures, I had 
strolled forward for the purpose of obtaining, if possible, a 
more perfect view of the enemy's lines $ and was stepping 
across a ditch on my return, when a low groan, as if from 
some person in acute pain, attracted my notice. I looked 
down into the ditch, which was, perhaps, four feet deep, 
and beheld three human beings lying at the bottom of it. 
They were all perfectly naked, and two of them were mo- 
tionless. On farther examination, I found that they were 
three French soldiers, of whom one only was alive ; and 
he lay bleeding from a severe wound in the face, a mus- 
ket-ball having broken both cheek-bones. He was, how- 



125 

ever, sensible ; so I ran for help, and he was carried by 
some of our people to a neighbouring house. Here the 
poor fellow, whom his own countrymen had stripped and 
deserted, was well taken care of by his enemies ; but he 
had suffered so much from exposure to cold, that all at- 
tempts to preserve his life, were vain, and he died in about 
a quarter of an hour after his wound was dressed. 

In the meanwhile, Lord Wellington putting himself at 
the head of a small corps of cavalry, and, attended by a 
few companies of light infantry, proceeded to the front, in 
order to reconnoitre the enemy's works. This he was 
permitted to do without any farther molestation than arose 
from the occasional discharge of a field gun as he and his 
party presented a favourable mark to the gunners. But 
neither he nor his followers received the slightest injury 
from these discharges, and by six in the evening he had 
effected every object which he desired to effect. Orders 
were accordingly issued for the troops to fall back to their 
former quarters, and the main road was again crowded 
with armed men, marching to the rear, in a fashion not 
perhaps quite so orderly as that which distinguished then- 
advance. 

A heavy rain had begun about an hour previous to this 
movement, accompanied by a cold wind, which blew di- 
rectly in our faces. Darkness, too, set rapidly in ; the road 
soon became deep and muddy from the trampling of the 
multitude of men and horses which covered it ; and some- 
thing like an inclination to grumble, began to arise in our 
bosoms. Perhaps I need not tell the reader, that between 
the infantry and cavalry in the British army, a sort of na- 
tural antipathy exists ; the former description of force 
regarding the latter as little better than useless, the latter 
regarding the former as extremely vulgar and ungenteel. 
I was myself an officer of infantry ; and I perfectly recol- 

11* 



126 

lee! the angry feelings which were excited at a particular 
period of the march, when the corps, weary, wet, and 
hungry, was rudely ordered, by a squadron or two of light 
troopers, to "get out of the way, and allow them to pass." 
Kecollect, good reader, that the rain was falling as if it 
had come from buckets ; that each infantry soldier carries 
a load of perhaps fifty pounds weight about his person ; 
that our braye fellows had walked under this load, upwards 
of fourteen miles, and were still six long miles from a 
place of rest ; and you will not wonder that these troopers 
were saluted with "curses not loud but deep," as they 
.somewhat wantonly jostled their less fortunate comrades 
into the deepest and dirtiest sides of the way. I must 
Qonfess that I shared in the indignation of my men ; though, 
of course, I exerted myself as much as possible to prevent 
its being more openly displayed. 

Never has any saloon, when brilliantly lighted up, and 
tilled with all the splendour and elegance of a fashionable 
assembly, appeared half so attractive to my eyes, as did 
our own humble apartment this evening, with its carpet- 
less floor, its logs of wood arranged instead of chairs, and 
a few deals, or rather a piece of scaffolding, placed in the 
centre, as a substitute for a table. A large fire was blazing 
on the rudely-constructed hearth, which shed a bright glare 
over the white walls; and our unpolished table being 
covered with a clean cloth, over which were arranged 
plates, knives, forks, and drinking-cups, gave promise of a 
substantial meal, and of an evening of real enjoyment. 
Nor were our hopes blighted. We had just time to strip 
off our wet and muddy garments, and to substitute others 
in their room, when a huge piece of roast-beef smoked 
upon the board, and summoned us to an occupation more 
agreeable than any which could have been at that moment 
proposed to us. Then our faithful valets had taken care 



127 

to provide an ample supply of wine; a bottle or two of 
ehampaigne, with claret of no mean quality, which, with a 
little French beer, brisk, and weak, and well flavoured, 
served exceedingly well to wash down the more solid por- 
tions of our repast. To complete the thing, a few of our 
most intimate companions dropping in, soon after the frag- 
ments had been cleared away, our cigars were lighted, and 
the atmosphere of the apartment became speedily impreg- 
nated with the delicious fumes of tobacco ; in sending forth 
the clouds of which, no other interruption took place, 
than was produced by an occasional uplifting of the wine- 
cup to the lips, and an expression or short ejaculation, in- 
dicative of the perfect satisfaction of him who uttered it. 
I have seen many merry and many happy days and nights 
both before and since, but an evening of more quiet luxury 
than than this, I certainly do not recollect at any period to 
have spent. 

At length the fatigues of the day began to tell upon us 
in a degree somewhat too powerful for enjoyment. We 
had been under arms from four in the morning till nine at 
night, during the whole of which time, no opportunity of 
eating had been supplied to us ; nor had we been permitted 
to unbend either our minds or bodies, in any effectual de- 
gree. Like other animals who have fasted long, we had 
all gorged ourselves as soon as the means of so doing 
were furnished ; and hence, the sensation of absolute rest, 
degenerated gradually into languor, and sleep laid his 
leaden fingers on our eyelids. I do not believe that halt 
a dozen sentences of ordinary length had been uttered 
amongst us, when, about eleven o'clock, our last cup of 
wine was drained off; and from our guests departing each 
to his own billet, we betook ourselves to our pallets. I 
need not add that our slumber was thoroughly unbroken. 



CHAPTER XII. 

I arose next morning refreshed, vigorous, and prepared 
to follow my ordinary occupation of shooting. It was a 
clear frosty day, the sun was shining brightly over-head, 
and a thousand little birds were rejoicing in the warmth of 
his beams ; my dogs were in high condition ; my gun was 
clean and in good order; and myself big with determina- 
tion, not to fire in too great a hurry, but to be sure of my 
aim before I pulled the trigger. Thus attended, and thus 
animated, I set forth after breakfast ; and having previous- 
ly ascertained the favourite haunt of a hare which had 
more than once escaped me, I turned my steps towards it. 
My faithful spaniel had just begun to give tongue, and my 
fowling-piece was already in a position to be lifted at once 
to the shoulder, when the report of a single cannon, com- 
ing from the front, attracted my attention. I stopped 
short, but had not time to call in my dog, when another 
and another discharge took place, mixed with an occa- 
sional rattle of musketry. This was warning enough. 
Though the hare started from her seat, I permitted her to 
depart in peace, and whistling loudly for my four-footed 
companions to follow, I ran back towards my quarters. 
As I proceeded, the firing became every moment more and 
more heavy, till at length it had increased into an uninter- 
rupted roar. 

On reaching the houses I found that the alarm was 
already given. The bugles were sounding to recall such 
as might be abroad, and the men were accoutering with all 
baste. For ourselves, Graham and I took care on the 
present occasion to make better provision against deten- 



129 

lion, than we hflL done the day before ; but our baggage 
we were obligexl to leave, to be packed and made ready 
for moving by our bat-men. Aid-de-camp after aid-de- 
camp passed in the meanwhile to and fro, one galloping 
from the front to urge an immediate advance, another gal- 
loping from the rear to ascertain how matters were going ; 
whilst the various battalions, as each was equipped, and 
ready, hurried down to the main road, to join its par- 
ticular brigade. 

A quarter of an hour had scarcely elapsed, from the mo- 
ment that the alarm was first given, when we found our- 
selves marching once more in the same direction, and 
nearly in the same order, in which we had marched yes- 
terday. Our march had in it, however, even more of deep 
excitement, than that of the preceding day. We had not 
proceeded above a mile, when indications of what was 
going on in front began to present themselves, in the form 
of baggage, mules, and horses, pouring, in all haste and 
confusion, to the rear ; while a wounded man or two, ever 
and anon, dragged himself with difficulty in the same di- 
rection, and gave, as the wounded invariably give, the most 
alarming account of the state of affairs. " Push on, push 
on, for God's sake," said one poor fellow who had been shot 
in the head, and was lying, rather than sitting, across a 
horse, " push on, or it will be all over. Forty thousand 
of the enemy are coming on, and there are not two thou- y 
sand men up to oppose them." Of course we quickened 
our pace with infinite good will. 

A group of perhaps twenty wounded privates and offi- 
cers had passed, when the next body which met us was a 
detachment of ten sound men and a sergeant, who were 
conducting to the rear about an hundred French prisoners. 
These were saluted with a cheer, but even these urged us 
forward, with the intelligence that the 5th division must be 



130 

soon overpowered. And now the scen^f action began 
to open upon us. We had passed through Bedart, and 
were descending the little eminence on which it is built, 
when the combatants became distinguishable ; and a very 
magnificent, as well as gratifying spectacle, they present- 
ed. The nearest handful of British troops, were oppos- 
ing themselves, in the most determined manner, to a mass 
of men, so dense, and so extended, as to cover the whole 
of the main road, as far as the eye could reach. Our peo- 
ple were, it is true, giving way. They had already main- 
tained a most unequal contest for upwards of two hours, 
and their numbers, originally small, were fast diminishing. 
But no sooner had the head of our column shown itself, 
than their confidence completely returned, and they renew- 
ed the struggle with increased alacrity. 

The same circumstance which gave fresh courage to 
our comrades, acted, as may well be supposed, in a directly 
contrary manner upon the enemy. Not that they fell into 
confusion, or exhibited any symptoms of dismay ; but it 
was evident, from their mode of proceeding, that their 
general had lost his confidence of immediate success, and 
that he deemed it necessary to trust less to the weight of 
his single column, and to add manoeuvring and skill to 
brute violence. His attack was accordingly suspended, 
whilst a battery of ten or twelve guns being hastily brought 
to the front, opened, not upon the division with which he 
had been hitherto engaged, but upon us. And I must 
confess that the guns were well served. The gunners 
laying them for a particular turning in the road, mowed 
down some two or three out of each company as it came 
up, and caused us to suffer no inconsiderable loss, long 
before we arrived within range of musketry. 

As soon as we had passed this perilous spot, we aban- 
doned the main road, and turning into an open green field 



131 

on the right, we marched into line. In front of us was a 
thick wood, for the possession of which our people and 
the French were warmly struggling. On our side, it was 
garrisoned by a battalion of Portuguese, and a couple of 
British regiments, and it was assaulted by a perfect swarm 
of French tiralleurs : but neither did the latter succeed in 
driving their opponents through it, nor could the former 
deliver themselves from the annoyance of continual as- 
saults. It was peculiarly the business of the corps to 
which I belonged, to give support to the defenders of that 
wood ; for which purpose, company after company was 
sent forward, as a fresh supply of men became from time 
to -time necessary; whilst two other corps, continuing 
steadily in line, prepared to use the bayonet with effect, in 
case our efforts to maintain our ground should prove una- 
vailing. 

Even the un warlike reader will probably understand me, 
when I say, that the feelings of a man hurried into battle, 
as we were to-day, are totally different from those of the 
same man who goes gradually, and as it were preparedly, 
into danger. We had dreamed of nothing less than a 
general action this morning ; and we found ourselves bear- 
ing the brunt of it, before we could very well make up our 
minds as to the proximity of an enemy. Everything was 
accordingly done, every word spoken, and every move- 
ment made, under the influence of that species of excite- 
ment, which absolutely shuts out all ideas, except those 
which spring from the circumstances immediately about 
you ; I mean an apprehension lest your own men shall 
give way, and an inexpressible eagerness to close with 
your adversary. Nor were sundry opportunities wanting, 
of gratifying the last of these desires. We fought, at least 
where I was stationed, in a thick wood ; and more than 
once it occurred, that we fought hand to hand. 



132 

Affairs had continued in this state till about three in the 
afternoon ; when the enemy, as r if weary with their fruit- 
less efforts, began to slacken in their exertions, and gradual- 
ly to fall back. Not very far from the spot where I was 
posted, stood a chateau, the property, I believe, of the 
Mayor of Bearitz ; for the occupation of which, the French 
had made, during the morning, several desperate, but un- 
availing efforts. Towards it, as soon as the firing began 
to wax faint, Sir John Hope, attended by three or four 
aides-de-camp and a few orderly dragoons, made his way. 
He had already mounted to an upper room, for the purpose 
of observing from thence the enemy's proceedings ; his 
staff and orderlies were lounging about the court-yard, and 
a few skirmishers which lined the hedge in front were lying- 
down to rest, when a mass of French infantry, which had 
formed in a hollow road a little to the left, dashed forward. 
The movement was so rapid, and the force employed so 
great, that all opposition on the part of the few British 
troops then up, was overcome ; — the house was surround- 
ed. Instantly a cry was raised, " Save the general, Save 
the general," and a rush was made from all quarters to- 
wards the chateau ; but, our assistance was unnecessary. 
Sir John, seeing what had happened, threw himself upon 
his horse, and at the head of his mounted attendants 
charged from the door-way of the court-yard. He re- 
ceived, indeed, no fewer than three musket balls through 
his hat, and his horse was so severely wounded, that its 
strength served only to carry him to a place of safety ; 
but the charge was decisive. Many of the French were 
sabred, and the little party escaped — and now the fight 
was renewed on all sides with desperate resolution. Again 
and again the enemy pressed forward to empty the wood 
of its defenders and to secure the high-road ; but all their 
efforts failed, and when the approach of darkness compel- 



133 

led the combatants to separate, the two armies occupied 
almost the same ground which they had occupied when 
the fighting began. 

It were vain for me to attempt any description of the 
scene which now took place. So vigorous had been the 
last attack, and so determined our resistance, that when 
daylight disappeared, the French and allied troops found 
themselves completely mixed together. Instead of the 
roar of musketry, my ears were accordingly saluted by 
shouts and exclamations, delivered in almost every Euro- 
pean tongue. French, English, German, Dutch, Spa- 
niards, Portuguese ; the natives, in short, of almost even 
.kingdom were here ; and as each called out in his own lan- 
guage as loud as he could bawl, for the purpose of disco- 
vering his comrades, and giving evidence of his own situation, 
a jargon was produced, such as no man has probably listen- 
ed to before, unless we except the artificers employed of 
yore in the erection of Babel. So complete, indeed, was 
the confusion, that neither the one party nor the other 
made the slightest attempt to avail itself of it for military 
purposes, — on the contrary, we were each of us heartilv 
glad to get rid of our troublesome neighbours, and not a 
little pleased when order became so far restored, as to per- 
mit our taking up a definite position for the night. 

The enemy having gradually collected their scattered 
battalions, retired to the hollow-way from which they 
last emerged. On our part, no movement of importance 
was made ; except that the corps to which I belonged, 
leaving its original garrison to watch the wood during the 
hours of darkness, fell back as far as the green field, or 
rather common, where we had left the rest of the brigade. 
Here, with numbers considerably diminished, we drew up 
in line ; when the arms being piled, we followed the ex- 
ample of our companions, and lighted large fires, round 

12 



134 

which men and officers indiscriminately crowded, in groups 
more or less numerous, according as each fire was capable 
of affording to them warmth. 

I do not recollect to have witnessed, during the whole 
course of my military career, a more strikingly warlike 
spectacle than that which was now before me. Besides 
my own corps, three battalions of infantry lay stretched 
in a single green field round their watch fires ; amount- 
ing, in all, to about an hundred. Immediately behind them 
stood their arms piled up in regular order, and glancing in 
the flames, which threw a dark red light across the com- 
mon, upon the bare branches ^eyond ; about twenty yards 
in rear, two regiments of cavalry were similarly disposed 
of, their horses being picketed in line, and the men seat- 
ed or lying on the ground. Looking farther back again, 
and towards the opposite side of the road, the fires of the 
whole of the fifth and first divisions mot the eye ; darken- 
ed ever and anon, as the soldiers passed between them, 
or a heap of wood was cast on to feed their brightness. 
By the light of these fires, I could farther perceive, that 
the road itself was thronged with artillery and tumbrils ; 
whilst the glaring atmosphere above the wood, showed that 
it too was fully tenanted, * and that its occupants were, like 
ourselves, reposing in an attitude of watchfulness. To 
complete the picture, the night chanced to be uncommonly 
dark. Neither moon nor stars were out, and though no 
rain fell, a considerable fog was in the air ; which, hinder- 
ing the flames from ascending beyond a certain length, 
caused them to shed a stronger colouring upon surrounding 
objects. Then the knowledge that the enemy was at 
hand, and that we only waited for the dawn of to-morrow, 
to renew the combat ; the whole of these circumstances 
combined, gave so deep an interest to our situation, that it 
was long ere I was able to follow the example of my com- 



135 

rades, and lie down. Fatigue, however, at length prevail- 
ed over enthusiasm, and having heartily partaken of the 
meal winch our faithful Francisco brought up, I wrapped 
my cloak about me, and taking my station, like the rest, 
with my feet towards the fire, I soon fell fast asleep. 

It was still perfectly dark when the general stir among 
the troops put an end to my repose. The infantry stood 
to their arms ; the cavalry mounted their horses ; the 
artillery-men were at their guns with lighted matches ; all 
in the space of one minute ; nor was a single word uttered 
by any man beyond what was absolutely requisite in issu- 
ing orders. Early as it was, however, our fires had all 
~but consumed themselves ; they had become dull and red ; 
and they threw not out heat enough to keep our blood 
greatly above the freezing point ; but we bore the intense 
cold with exemplary patience, in the full assurance of warm 
work as soon as day-light should appear. Nor is there 
any hour in the four and twenty, as every outside traveller 
by a stage-coach must know, so fruitful in intense cold, as 
that which immediately precedes the dawn. To-day, too, 
it chanced to freeze, with a cutting wind directly in our 
faces ; nevertheless, our courage was high, and we count- 
ed the moments impatiently as they passed, not so much 
from a sense of our present uncomfortable situation, as 
from an eager desire to renew the battle. 

Day dawned at length, but the enemy made no move- 
ment. They were before us as they had been all night, 
in countless numbers ; but, like ourselves, they stood 
quietly in their ranks, as if they expected to be attacked, 
rather than to attack. For nearly two hours both armies 
continued stationary, till Lord Wellington coming up, or- 
dered three Portuguese battalions to advance, with no 
other design than to bring matters to a crisis. Nor did 
this movement fail to lead the enemy into a renewal of 



136 

offensive operations. The Portuguese brigade was gal- 
lantly met, and after a good deal of firing, repulsed ; and 
the repulse of it was followed by a determined assault upon 
such of our corps as defended the road, and occupied the 
wood. 

Nothing can be more spirited or impetuous than the 
first attack of French troops. They come on, for a while, 
slowly, and in silence ; till, having reached within a hun- 
dred yards, or two, of the point to be assailed, they raise 
a loud but discordant yell, and rush forward. The ad- 
vance of their columns is, moreover, covered by a perfect 
cloud of tiralleurs, who press on, apparently in utter con- 
fusion, but with every demonstration of courage ; who fire 
irregularly, it is true, but with great rapidity and precision ; 
and who are as much at home in the art of availing them- 
selves of every species of cover, as any light troops in the 
world. The ardour of the French is, however, admirably 
opposed by the coolness and undaunted deportment of 
Britons. On the present occasion, for instance, our peo- 
ple met their assailants exactly as if the whole affair had 
been a piece of acting ; no man quitting his ground, but 
each deliberately waiting till the word of command was 
given, and then discharging his piece. Every effort of 
Marshal Soult to possess himself of the mayor's house, 
and of the enclosure and wood about it, accordingly 
proved fruitless ; and hence his formidable column, which 
covered the high-road as far as the eye could reach, was, 
per force, obliged to halt, and to remain idle. 

Matters continued in this state till towards noon, and yet 
a comparatively trifling number of our troops were en- 
gaged. The entire brigade to which I belonged, the bri- 
gade of light cavalry, as well as th^ greater proportion of 
the first division, had been mere spectators of the valour 
of others ; when the enemy, as if worn out with fatigue^ 



137 

and disheartened by repeated failures, suddenly began to 
retire. His column of infantry, having moved to the rear, 
till some rising ground in a great degree concealed it, 
seemed to disperse ; his guns were withdrawn, and his 
skirmishers falling back, left our advanced corps in pos- 
session of the disputed post. A retreat, indeed, appeared 
to have fairly commenced ; and to many it was matter of 
surprise that ho pursuit was on our side instituted. But 
our general, by keeping his soldiers steady in their places, 
showed that he was quite aware of his adversary's intentions ; 
and that he was a far better judge of the measures which 
it behoved him to adopt, than any of the numerous critics 
who presumed to pass censure upon him. The whole of 
this movement was no other than a manoeuvre on the part 
of the French Marshal, to draw our troops from their po- 
sition, and to enfeeble the centre of our line, by causing 
the left to be too far advanced ; but though skilfully exe- 
cuted, it proved of no avail, thanks to the superior sagacity 
of Lord Wellington. Instead of being harassed by any 
useless change of ground, we were commanded to take 
advantage of the temporary truce, by cooking our dinners ; 
a measure which the long fast of many of the soldiers, 
particularly of the Portuguese, who had eaten nothing du- 
ring the whole of yesterday, rendered peculiarly desirable. 
In a moment numerous fires were again lighted, and 
half of the men in each regiment, disencumbering them- 
selves of their accoutrements, set to work, felling wood, 
boiling kettles, and preparing food for their comrades. In 
the meanwhile six or eight spring- waggons arriving, such 
of the wounded as were unable to crawl to the rear were 
collected from the various spots where they lay mingled 
with the dead, and lifted into them, with as much care as 
circumstances would permit. It was a sad spectacle this. 
The shrieks and groans of many of these poor fellows 

12* 



138 

sounded horribly in our ears ; whilst the absolute silence 
of the rest was not less appalling, inasmuch as it gave but 
too much reason to believe, that they were removed from 
the field only to die in the waggons. Nor were the mule- 
teers, and other followers of the camp, idle. These har- 
pies, spreading themselves in vast numbers over the face of 
the country, stripped and plundered the dead in an incredi- 
bly short space of time ; and they were, withal, so skilful 
in their vocation, that they rarely afforded an opportunity 
of detecting them in this act. Nothing, indeed, has ever 
astonished me more, than the celerity with which these 
body-strippers execute their task. A man falls by your 
side, and the very next moment, if you chance to look 
round, he is as naked as he was when he came into the 
world, without your being able so much as to guess by 
whom his garments have been taken. 

Whilst all these persons were engaged in their various 
occupations, I wandered towards the front, for the purpose 
of examining, in a moment of coolness, the nature of the 
ground on which we had yesterday fought. It was literal- 
ly covered with the carcases of men and horses. Round 
the mayor's house, in particular, they lay in clusters, and 
not a few of the Frenchmen bore marks of having fallen 
by the sabre. One man, in particular, I observed, whose 
head was cloven asunder, the sword of his adversary hav- 
ing fairly divided it as far as the eyes ; whilst another lay 
upon his back, with his face absolutely split into two parts, 
across the line of the nose. The great majority had, 
however, been shot ; and they were mixed indiscriminately 
together, English and French, as if each had been cut off 
by the hand of his next neighbour. 

I was not, however, so fully occupied in contemplating 
the dead, but that I cast various anxious glances towards 
the living ; nor was ground of anxiety wanting. The 



139 

enemy had, indeed, fallen back ; neither did he show any 
column upon the road, nor any masses in the woods. But 
I observed his men crossing the high-road towards our 
right, by twos and threes at a time, as if some formation 
was going on which he desired might escape notice. Nor 
was the circumstance lost upon my companions : "We 
shall have it again presently," said a veteran Serjeant who 
stood near me ; and the prediction was hardly uttered, 
when it was fulfilled. As if they had risen from beneath 
the earth, two ponderous masses of infantry, covered by 
the fire of twelve pieces of cannon, rushed forward ; one 
a little to the right of where I was, and the other, upon 
ihe church and village of Arcanques ; and such was the 
fury of their attack, that, for the instant, they carried 
everything before them. A Portuguese corps, which oc- 
cupied the former of those parts, was broken, and gave 
way ; a British regiment, stationed to support them, fol- 
lowed their example ; and now, for the first time since the 
battle began, the head of a French column showed itself 
upon the common. 

In the meanwhile, all was hurry and bustle in the rear. 
The plunderers, taking to their heels, fled in all directions ; 
the waggons with the wounded set off at a pace by no 
means the most moderate, or the least likely to jolt those 
who filled them ; our people, casting their half-dressed 
provisions into the fire, buckled on their accoutrements, 
and took their stations ; whilst the artillery, which had be- 
gun to retire, came up again, at a hand gallop, to the front. 
Two squadrons of cavalry were next ordered out, partly 
to stop the fugitives in their flight, and partly to check a 
body of the enemy, which, at this moment, appeared upon 
the main road ; and I must say, that our troopers executed 
both of these orders with great effect. Every man whom 
they met, no matter whether an English or a Portuguese 



140 

soldier, they drove back, beating him with the flats of their 
swords over the head and shoulders ; and then, suddenly 
rushing past a projecting copse, which concealed their 
motions, they spread death and dismay among the French 
infantry. But we had not much time given to watch the 
operations of others. We were ourselves in line in a 
moment, and advancing to the charge. 

It was a tremendous and an overwhelming rush. The 
enemy stood nobly, and fought with desperate resolution, 
but we bore them back as I have seen one bull borne back 
by another, into the wood. And then, again, began the 
same ceaseless roar of musketry which had sounded in our 
ears last evening ; whilst four or five pieces of cannon 
sent showers of grape and cannister amongst us, which, 
but for the shelter afforded by the trees, must have swept 
us all into eternity. 

As soon as we were fairly in the wood, our compact 
order was, in spite of every effort, lost. We fought, how- 
ever, with the same spirit as before, in detached parties, 
and pressed the enemy on all hands, who became as much 
divided as ourselves, — till not only was the ground reco- 
vered which had at first been lost, but we were considerably 
in advance of our original position. Nor was it practica- 
ble, even then, to check the ardour of the men. As fast 
as the enemy retired, our soldiers pushed on, till, at length, 
we found ourselves on the margin of a little lake, round 
the extremity of which the French were flying in great 
confusion. Such a sight added fuel to the fire of our 
eagerness ; and we pursued in a state of little less con- 
fusion than that which prevailed among the fugitives, 

We had already reached the farther end of the lake, 
and were in hot and heedless chase of a couple of field- 
pieces, when a cry was suddenly raised of "The cavalry! 
The cavalry !" Several troops of French dragoons were 



141 

advancing. Their horses were already in speed, — there 
was no time to collect or form a square ; so we threw our- 
selves as we best could into compact circles, and stood to 
receive them. — They came on with the noise of thunder ; 
one circle wavered — some of the men abandoned their 
ranks — the cavalry rode through it in an instant. That in 
which I was stood more firm. We permitted them to ap- 
proach, till the breasts of the horses almost touched our 
bayonets, when a close and well-directed volley was poured 
in, and numbers fell beneath it. But we knew that we 
had no business to remain where we were. Having, there- 
fore, repelled this charge, we slowly retraced our steps, 
the cavalry hovering around us as we retired, till we had 
gained, once more, the shelter of the wood, and were safe 
from further molestation. There we stood fast, till a bugle 
sounding the recall, warned us to retire still farther, and 
we again united ourselves with the rest of the brigade. 

The attack upon our post being thus defeated, we were 
commanded to^ lie down in a ditch, for the purpose of 
sheltering ourselves against a heavy cannonade with which 
the enemy still entertained us. 

A couple of brigades were, at the same time, marched 
towards the right, to support the light division, which had 
been very sorely pressed in its position at Arcanques. 
The French column had come on at a moment, when a 
regiment of Cagadores, which held the church, were in the 
act of cleaning their rifles, and hence one-half of the 
troops were virtually unarmed. But, though driven through 
the village and gardens, our people maintained themselves 
in the church, and the rising ground on which it stood ; 
nor did the French succeed in making any lasting impres- 
sion on that point. The loss, however, had, on our part, 
been so great, and the enemy still continued his exertions 
with so much ardour, that it was deemed requisite to send 



142 

fresh regiments to relieve those which had been so long 
engaged ; and hence five or six battalions were withdrawn 
from our rear, and the post which they had hitherto assisted 
in maintaining was left entirely to our protection. 

Whether it was the intention of Soult to cause this 
movement, or whether he only hoped to avail himself of 
it, as soon as it had been made, I know not ; but just as 
the bayonets of our detached troops began to glitter in 
the wood behind Arcanques, another most determined 
charge was made upon the corps in our immediate front. 
This corps was not only weak in point of numbers, but 
was absolutely worn out with hard fighting and want of 
food. It gave way almost immediately. Again the French 
were upon us ; again we were hotly engaged, and, as it 
appeared to me, with a still denser and more numerous di- 
vision than any which had yet attacked us. The wood 
and the mayor's house were now both of them carried — - 
the French came on with loud shouts and great courage — 
our Portuguese allies fairly fled the field— one or two Bri- 
tish regiments were overpowered ; and even we, whose 
ranks had hitherto been preserved, began to waver, when 
Lord Wellington himself rode up. The effect was elec- 
trical. — " You must keep your ground, my lads," cried he ; 
" there is nothing behind you. — Charge ! Charge !" In- 
stantly a shout was raised. Many fugitives, who had lost 
their own corps, threw themselves into line upon our flank ; 
we poured in but one volley, and then rushed in with the 
bayonet. The enemy would not stand it ; their ranks 
were broken, and they fled in absolute confusion. We 
followed without giving them a moment to recover from 
their panic ; and having suffered hardly any loss in killed 
and wounded, we once more took possession of the cha- 
teau and the thicket. This was the last effort on either 
side, darkness having already set in ; and hence we found 



113 

ourselves, for the second time, at the close of a day of car- 
nage and fatigue, occupying exactly the spot of ground 
which he had occupied when that day begun. The same 
wild and outlandish tumult ensued ; men of all countries 
bawling and hollowing to each other, and the same ar- 
rangements of lighting fires, and lying down to sleep 
around them, were entered into by the weary combatants. 
The corps to which I belonged was, indeed, turned about 
a quarter of a mile to the right, where the charge of the 
outposts was committed to it ; and those who had hitherto 
kept them being called in, were permitted to repose more 
securely in the rear. But with tins exception, every thing 
which had been done during the night before was repeated : 
And such as were not actually employed on piquet, slepi 
soundly beside their watch-fires. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



From an unwillingness to interrupt my narrative of the 
sanguinary operations of this day, I have omitted to notice 
an event, perhaps more important in its general conse- 
quences, than even the successful resistance of one British 
corps to the attack of almost the whole French army. The 
reader will, no doubt, recollect, that at the period of time 
respecting which I am now writing, the various states of 
Germany which had lain so long under the French yoke, 
were beginning once more to assert their independence, — 
many, indeed, had taken up arms against the common 
enemy. The battle of Leipsic had been fought ; the Con- 
federation of the Rhine was dissolved ; Holland and the 
Netherlands were, in a great measure, restored to their 
legitimate sovereign, and all in rear of the allied line, ex- 
tending from Hunengen to the Low Countries, was free. 
Attached to the army of Marshal Soult were several bri- 
gades of German and Dutch troops, from whom the intelli- 
gence of the real state of their respective countries could 
not be concealed. Of these, about four thousand men> 
through the instrumentality of their commanding officers, 
had for some time back been in secret communication with 
Lord Wellington. All, indeed, which was wanting to 
withdraw them from the ranks of the enemy was a conve- 
nient opportunity to desert ; and against this the French 
general appeared studiously to strive. One brigade he 
had already sent to the rear on suspicion, and he had 
thrown out various hints that the rest must speedily fol- 
low ; nor can it be doubted that these hints would have 
been acted upon, but for the events of the three last days. 



14-5 

The extreme fatigue of his French battalions compelled 
him to assign the advanced station, this morning, to a 
corps of Germans, who had no sooner taken up their 
ground, than they proposed to cany into execution a plan 
which their officers had long matured. Collecting their 
baggage, and carrying with them their arms, ammunition, 
and accoutrements, they marched in regular order within 
our lines, and were instantly shipped, as they had previous- 
ly desired, for their own country. Thus, independently of 
his loss in killed and wounded, which, on the most mode- 
rate computation, could not amount to less, during the late 
operations, than four thousand men, Soult found his army 
weakened by the desertion of fifteen hundred or two thou- 
sand veteran soldiers. 

The Germans had taken up the ground in our immedi- 
ate front soon after dark on the evening of the 10th ; but 
they were not prepared to abandon the cause of Napoleon 
at the instant. Messengers were, however, sent in, that 
night, to prepare our general for what was to take place on 
the morrow, and so to hinder the deserting column from 
being fired on by our outposts. All was fully arranged. 
Just before the Portuguese brigade advanced, the advance 
of which brought on the renewal of hostilities, the German 
corps began its march ; and it was welcomed with cheers 
by its new allies, who were under arms to receive it. To 
us it was truly an animating spectacle, and it, doubtless, 
caused not only annoyance and rage, but alarm and de- 
spondency among the ranks of the enemy. But to return 
to my own personal narrative. 

The night of the 11th was spent, as that of the 10th had 
been spent, round our fires, and in the open air. A sup- 
ply of beef, biscuit, and rum had, however, been issued out, 
and the former being broiled over the coals, a substantial 
.supper effectually recruited the strength of those who were 

13 



146 

really beginning to faint from absolute inanition. Tims'. 
the grog being passed round, and pipes and segars lighted, 
we lay not down to sleep, till many a rude joke had been 
bandied about, and many a merry catch chanted. Not 
that we were altogether insensible to more grave and me- 
lancholy feelings. Our ranks were a good deal thinned ; 
of our beloved companions many had fallen ; and I speak 
truly when I say, that we lamented their fall, even in the 
midst of our mirth. But a state of warfare is productive, 
and necessarily productive, of more consummate selfish- 
ness than any other situation into which man is liable to be 
thrown ; and hence, except some bosom friend have pe- 
rished, as Graham was to me, and I to him, it must be 
confessed that soldiers think less of the dead than of the 
living. Each man, indeed, is (shall I own it?) too happy 
to find himself unscathed, to waste many fruitless expres- 
sions of sorrow upon those whose fate has been different. 

The dawn of the 12th found us, as the dawn of the pre- 
ceding day had done, under arms. Just before day broke, 
the battalions, leaving two companies to act as skirmish- 
ers, fell back to the rear of a thin hedge-row, for the pur- 
pose of keeping an open stubble field in its front, in case 
the enemy should attack. By this means we hoped to 
throw in our fire with the better effect, as they moved 
along this coverless ground, whilst a clear space lying be- 
fore us, our charge, which must of course follow, would be 
the more decisive. But the enemy gave us no opportuni- 
ty of carrying these plans into execution. 

The French army was still before us in immense num- 
bers ; but it remained perfectly quiet. Hour after hour 
elapsed without any movement being made on either side, 
till about eight in the morning his column, which occupied 
the main road, began to retrograde. An English officer of 
artillery seeing this, as if determined that the retreat should 



147 

not be altogether bloodless, fired the two guns which he com- 
manded, I believe, without any orders being given. Whe- 
ther these shots irritated the Marshal, or whether he was 
anxious to deceive us into a belief of fresh hostilities on his 
side, I know not ; but they were immediately answered. 
The column halted, faced about, and made a show of ad- 
vancing. The piquets came on, and a good deal of skir- 
mishing ensued ; but no decided attack was made, though 
enough was done to keep our attention awake. About 
noon, however, even this firing ceased, and a sort of pause 
in hostilities ensued. 

Let me take advantage of this pause, to describe the re- 
lative positions of the two armies, as far, at least, as my 
circumscribed opportunities enabled me to judge of them. 

The extreme left of the British, and consequently the 
extreme right of the French army, rested upon the sea. 
Between the high road and the sea, however, lay a small 
lake, measuring perhaps a mile in circumference, the 
ground beyond which was so rugged and so inclosed, that 
only a few companies were left to guard it. On it no mili- 
tary operations took place. Perhaps, then, I may speak 
more intelligibly if I say, that the left of our army, and the 
right of that of the enemy, rested upon the lake. The 
main road, which was one key of our position, ran along 
the summit of the high bank above the lake. It was wind- 
ing, but as nearly level as high roads generally are. To 
defend it, a battery of three guns had been thrown up a lit- 
tle way to the left, where an inclination of the lake permit- 
ted ; and where the whole of a long sweep was completely 
commanded. On the right of the road, again, was the 
mayor's house, with its out-buildings, gardens, and thick 
plantations ; for the possession of which so much blood 
had been shed. So far, however, the ground was perfectly 
©Yen ; that is to say, neither the French nor we possessed 



148 

the advantage of an acclivity ; nor could either side boas* 
of superior cover from wood. But about musket-shot 
from the mayor's house, the case was different, and the 
general face of the country underwent a change. 

In the quarter of which I have last spoken, and where, 
indeed, my own cerps was this morning stationed, the 
French and English divisions were separated from one 
another by a ravine. The ground occupied by the enemy 
was, perhaps, higher than that on which we stood ; but 
then on our side we were better supplied with thickets : 
and had the contrary been the case, there was ascent suffi- 
cient to give a decided advantage to the defenders over 
the assailants. In both lines one or two farm-houses stood 
conveniently enough, as posts of defence ; and, on the side 
of the enemy, a wilderness of furze-bushes covered the 
face of the hill. 

This ravine, after running in a straight direction about 
three or four hundred yards, wound inwards upon the 
French hill, so as to place the church of Arcanques rather 
in front of our station, than the contrary. That building 
stood, however, upon a detached eminence. It was com- 
pletely surrounded by ravines, except in the rear, where it 
sloped gradually down into a woody plain. Beyond Arcan- 
ques, it was not possible for me to make any accurate ob- 
servations ; but as far as I could judge, the country ap- 
peared flat, with the same sort of inequalities occurring in 
it, as those already described. There was, however, a 
great deal of wood scattered here and there, whilst several 
villages, some in the possession of the French, and others 
in our possession, could be descried. On the whole, 
neither position could be pronounced greatly superior in na- 
tural strength to the other ; nor, perhaps, would ours at 
least, have caught an eye less acute in these matters, than 
his who selected it for his winter line. 



149 

I have said, that a good deal of unconnected firing- 
having been kept up till about noon, a solemn pause ensued 
throughout the whole line. Not that Marshal Soult had 
yet resigned all hope of forcing our left, and so gaining 
the command of the road by which our supplies were 
brought up ; but he appeared satisfied that absolute force 
would not secure his object, and hence he betook himself 
to manoeuvring. Of the various changes of ground which 
now took place among the different divisions of both 
armies, it is vain for me to attempt any minute description. 
What I myself beheld, however, may be repeated ; though 
it will convey but a feeble idea of the magnificent opera- 
tions of these two mighty gamesters. 

We had stood, or rather lain, quietly behind a hedge 
about half an hour, when the arrival of a group of horse- 
men, on the brow of the French hill, attracted our atten- 
tion. It was Soult and his staff*. The Marshal dismount- 
ing, leant his telescope over the saddle of his horse, and 
swept our line. While he was thus employed, Lord Wel- 
lington, followed by about twenty aides-de-camp and order- 
lies, rode up. The glass of our General was instantly 
turned upon his adversary, and the two commanders-in- 
chief gazed at each other for several seconds. Now a 
mounted Frenchman rode to the rear of his group at full 
speed ; whilst Lord Wellington flew, as fast as his horse 
could gallop, towards Arcanques ; and for about a quarter 
of an hour all was still. 

Soult had departed in the same direction with Lord 
Wellington ; and we were wondering what was to follow, 
when the head of a French column suddenly showed it- 
self on the high ground opposite to Arcanques. An at- 
tack was of course expected, — but no such thing. As if 
the two columns had agreed to reach their ground at the 
same instant, the enemy had hardly appeared, when the 

13* 



150 

wood, in rear of Arcanques, glittered with the bayonets of 
the seventh division. Again Soult showed himself on the 
ridge opposite, but a good deal farther to the right, gazing, 
as if with deep anxiety, upon the advance of these troops. 
His plan was anticipated, and his newly formed column 
melted gradually away. 

"Where next?' thought I; but no great time was spent 
in wondering. The same, or another mass, speedily 
crowned the hill opposite ; and at the same moment, two 
or three brigades of fresh troops were in our rear. Once 
more the enemy withdrew. Thus the whole hours of light 
were spent, the heads of columns appearing and disappear- 
ing, at different points ; and both armies were guided as 
the pieces upon a chess-board are guided, when two skilful 
and tolerably equal players are opposed. Darkness, at 
length, beginning to set in, an end was put to the manoeuv- 
ring, and we again made preparations to spend the night as 
comfortably as circumstances would permit. 

It fell to my lot this evening to mount piquet. As 
soon as the night had fairly commenced, I put myself 
at the head of the body of men which was assigned to me ; 
and moved down to the bottom of the ravine which I have 
already mentioned, as dividing the two armies. There 
our watch-fire was lighted ; where the main-body of the 
piquet took its ground ; whilst the sentinels were posted 
a little on the rise of the opposite hill. The French, on 
the other hand, stationed their outposts on the summit, 
and placed their sentries opposite to ours, at a distance of 
perhaps thirty paces. Thus, each man was at the mercy 
of the other ; but both English and French sentinels were 
too well trained in the school of modern warfare, to dream 
of violating the sanctity which is happily thrown around 
them. 

It will readily be imagined that this was to me a night, 
of peculiarly high excitement. My friend Graham was 



151 

with me, so the time passed cheerfully enough, but it was 
wholly sleepless. We took it by turns to visit our sen- 
tinels every half hour, who again were relieved, as sentinels 
generally are, each at the expiration of a two-hours' watch ; 
and thus, by going our rounds, and examining the state of 
the men previous to their proceeding to their posts, all 
inclination to repose was dispelled. The privates, indeed, 
on whose shoulders no responsibility rested, lay down, 
with their fire-locks beside them, and slept ; but we sat by 
our fire, smoking and conversing, whenever an opportunity 
of sitting was granted. All, however, passed quietly oft*. 
Except the voices of our own and the enemy's sentries, 
who challenged us as we approached, no sound could be 
heard in the front ; nor did any event occur worthy of no- 
tice, till midnight had long passed. 

It might be, perhaps, about two in the morning of the 
13th, when a sentinel, whose post I visited, informed me, 
that he had heard a more than usual stir in the French 
lines about ten minutes before ; and had seen a blue-light 
thrown up. " Have any reliefs taken place among them 
lately?" said I. — " Yes, sir," replied the soldier ; "a relief 
has just gone now." — "We must reconnoitre," rejoined I ; 
and so saying, I stooped down, and, in a creeping attitude, 
approached the enemy's videttes. One stood directly be- 
fore me. Though it was very dark, I could distinguish 
his cap, and fire-lock ; so I crept back again, satisfied that 
all was quiet. 

•In half an hour after I visited the same man. "Has 
anything occurred since?" asked I. "No, sir," was the 
answer ; " all is perfectly quiet." Repeating my experi- 
ment, I found the French sentinel still stationary, and I 
was again satisfied. The same thing occurred at each 
successive visitation, till about four in the morning. At 
that hour, my awn sentinel stated that he had hoard no re- 



152 

lief since he came on duty, neither had the man who was 
behind heard any. Upon this, I returned to consult with 
Graham ; when it was agreed between us that a patrol 
should go forward and ascertain at once how matters stood. 
Taking with me four men, I again crept up the hill. The 
vidette was still there; we approached, he continued silent 
and motionless. We ran up to him, — it was a bush, with 
a soldier's cap placed upon the top of it, and a musket 
leaning against it. The enemy were gone. Not a vestige 
of them remained, except their fires, on which a quantity 
of fuel had lately been heaped. Of course, we transmit- 
ted to the rear, without delay, intelligence of all that had 
occurred ; when a general recognizance being made along 
the front of the whole left, it was found that Soult had 
withdrawn, and that he had carried off with him, not only 
his artillery and baggage, but all his wounded. We gave 
him ample credit for the adroitness with which his retreat 
had been conducted. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



For about two hours after daybreak, no movement 
whatever was made on the left of the army. Parties of 
cavalry and light infantry were, indeed, from time to time, 
sent forward, for the purpose of guarding against a sudden 
return of the enemy's columns ; but the main body kept 
its ground as it had done the day before, and the stations 
of the out-posts were not altered. About nine o'clock in 
the morning, however, a few changes occurred. My pi- 
quet, for example, marched a little to the right, and relieved 
a body of Brunswickers, which occupied a farm-houso 
near the point where the ravine wound inwards upon the 
enemy's position; and this body, together with several 
other battalions, proceeded at a quick pace towards the 
station of General Hill's corps. The indefatigable Soult, 
it appeared, had withdrawn his forces from before us, only 
to carry them against the opposite flank. The whole of 
the night of the 12th was spent in filing his battalions 
through the entrenched camp ; and by daybreak on the 
13th, he showed himself in force upon the right of the 
army. But Sir Rowland was prepared for him. His own 
division kept the enemy in full play, till reinforcements ar- 
rived, when a decided attack was made ; and the French, 
worn out with the exertions of the four preceding days, 
were totally defeated. They escaped with difficulty with- 
in their fortified lines, leaving five thousand men upon the 
field. 

But I must not presume to intrude upon the province of 
the historian ; let me therefore return to myself, and my 
own little party. 



151 

The house of which we now took possession, exhibited 
very unequivocal symptoms of having been the arena of 
sundry desperate conflicts. The walls were every where 
perforated with cannon-shot; the doors and windows 
were torn to pieces ; a shell or two had fallen through 
the roof, and bursting in the rooms on the ground-floor, 
had not only brought the whole of the ceiling down, but 
had set fire to the wood-work. The fire had, indeed, 
been extinguished ; but it left its usual traces of black- 
ened timbers and charred boarding. Several dead bo- 
dies lay in the various apartments, and the little gar- 
den was strewed with them. These we, of course, pro- 
ceeded to bury ; but there were numbers concealed by 
the bushes on the hill-side beyond, on which no sepulture 
could be bestowed, and which, as afterwards appeared, 
were left to furnish food for the wolves and vultures. 
Then the smell, being not only about the interior, but the 
exterior, of the cottage, was shocking. Not that the dead 
had as yet begun to putrefy ; for though some of them had 
lain for a couple of days exposed to the influence of the 
atmosphere, the weather was far too cold to permit the 
process of decomposition to commence ; but the odour, 
even of an ordinary field of battle, is extremely disagreea- 
ble. I can compare it to nothing more aptly, than the in- 
terior of a butcher's slaughter-house, soon after he may 
have killed his sheep or oxen for the market. Here that 
species of perfume was peculiarly powerful ; and it was 
not the less unpleasant, that the smell of burning was mix- 
ed with it. 

Havingfremained at this post till sun-set, I and my party 
were relieved, and fell back to join the regiment. We 
found it huddled into a single cottage, which stood at one 
extremity of the green field, where we had halted, only 
yesterday, to bring the enemy fairly to the bayonet. Of 
course, our accommodations were none of the best ; offi- 



155 

cers and men, indeed, laid themselves down indiscriminate- 
ly upon the earthen floor, and heartily glad was he who ob- 
tained room enough to stretch himself at length, without 
being pushed or railed at by his neighbours. The night, 
however, passed over in quiet, and sound was the sleep 
which followed so many dangers and hardships, especially 
on the part of us, who had spent the whole of the pre- 
ceding night in watchfulness. 

Long before dawn on the morning of the 14th, we were, 
as a matter of course, under arms. In this situation we 
remained till the sun arose, when, marching to the right, 
we halted not till we reached a rising ground in front of the 
village of Badarre, and immediately in rear of the church 
of Arcanques. When we set out the sky was cloudy, and 
the air cold, but no rain had fallen. We had hardly got 
to our station, however, when a heavy shower descended, 
which, but for the opportune arrival of our tents, would 
have speedily placed it out of our power to experience any 
degree of bodily comfort for the next twenty-four hours. 
Under these circumstances, the tents which a few weeks 
ago we had regarded with horror, were now esteemed 
dwellings fit for princes to inhabit, whilst the opportunity 
which their shelter afforded, of disencumbering ourselves 
of our apparel, was hailed as a real blessing. No man 
who has not worn his garments for five or six days on end, 
can conceive the luxury of undressing ; and above all, the 
feeling of absolute enjoyment which follows the pulling off 
of his boots. 

As the rain continued during the whole of the day, little 
inducement was held out to wander abroad. On the con- 
trary, I perfectly recollect, that, for the first time in out- 
lives, we succeeded in lighting a fire in our tent, and es- 
caped the inconvenience of smoke by lying flat upon the 
ground ; and that the entire day was consumed in eating, 



156 

drinking, smoking, conversing, and sleeping. No doubl. 
my unwarlike readers will exclaim that the hours thus 
spent, were spent unprofitably ; but I cannot, even now, 
think so, inasmuch as tKey were hours of great enjoyment. 

We were not without serious apprehension that circum- 
stances had occurred which would compel Lord Welling- 
ton to keep us, during the remainder of the winter, under 
canvass, when the better half of the day following had pass- 
ed over, and no order arrived for our return into quarters. 
Nor were these feelings of alarm diminished, by witnessing 
the march of the whole of the 5th division through our en- 
campment, confessedly on their way to comfortable can- 
tonments. As the event proved, however, our dread was 
perfectly groundless, for, about an hour and a half after 
noon, we too received orders ; two o'clock saw our tents 
struck, our baggage packed up on the mules, and ourselves 
in motion towards the high road. Of course, we flattered 
ourselves that we were destined to return to those rural 
billets, which, by dint of mechanical skill and manual la- 
bour, we had made so snug ; but there we were disap- 
pointed. 

We traversed, almost step by step, the same ground 
over which we had travelled in the course of the late mili- 
tary operations, till we reached the identical green fields in 
which it had been our lot to bivouac with so little comfort, 
on the 10th of the preceding November. I believe I have 
already mentioned, if not I may state here, that adjoining 
to these fields were several farm-houses ; one of them, in- 
deed, of very respectable size and appearance, but the rest 
hardly elevated above the rank of cottages. In a mansion 
of the latter description — in that same mansion, indeed, 
where I and a host of more active animals had formerly 
contended for the possession of a bed, were Graham, my- 
self, and our men stationed ; nor can I say, though the 



157 

place was certainly in better plight than when last 1 beheld 
it, that we were particularly delighted with our abode. 

The room allotted to us was an apartment on the ground- 
floor. It was furnished with a fire-place, which had been 
built by the corps that preceded us, and among the mem- 
bers of which it was very evident that there existed no one 
possessing an equal skill in masonry with ourselves. It 
smoked abominably. In the construction of their window, 
our predecessors had, however, been more fortunate ; 
their oiled paper holding out against the wind and rain 
with much obstinacy ; but the quarters were, on the whole, 
exceedingly comfortless, especially when contrasted, as it 
was impossible not to contrast them, with those which 
we had so lately fitted up. Nevertheless, we were too 
happy in rinding ourselves once more under shelter of a 
roof, to waste many repining thoughts upon unavoidable 
evils ; and we had the satisfaction to know that our abode 
here would be of no longer continuance than the duration 
of the winter ; if, indeed, it continued so long. 

It is an old and a just observation, that the term comfort 
is one of relative, rather than of direct signification. To 
the truth of this saying we were speedily compelled to 
bear testimony, when, about two o'clock in the afternoon 
of the 18th, we found ourselves once more in line of march, 
and advancing to the front for the purpose of relieving 
another brigade in the out-post duty. Every body, I dare . 
say, recollects the severity of the winter of 1813 — 14. 
Even in the south of France, the frost was at times 
so intense, as to cast a complete coat of ice over ponds 
and lakes of very considerable depth ; whilst storms 
of cold wind and rain occurred at every interval, when 
the frost departed. The 18th of December chanced to 
be one of these wet and windy days, and hence we could 
not help acknowledging, when we found ourselves once 

14 



158 

more exposed to the " pelting of the pitiless storm," that 
our chamber, on the disagreeables of which we had dilated 
with so much minuteness, was, after all, an abode by no 
means to be despised. 

The corps employed in guarding the front of the left 
column, consisted of a brigade of three battalions, in other 
words, of about eighteen hundred men. Of these, six 
hundred were appointed to furnish the piquets, whilst the 
remaining twelve hundred acted as a support, in case of 
need, and busied themselves till the hour of need should 
arrive, in fortifying their post. The ground on which our 
tents stood, was the identical green field, where, during 
the late action, we had bivouacked for two successive 
nights ; whilst our working parties were employed in fell- 
ing the wood round the mayor's house, in throwing up 
breast-works contiguous to it, and in constructing a square 
redoubt, capable of holding an entire battalion in its imme- 
diate rear. The redoubt was named after a daughter of 
the worthy magistrate, who resided, for the present, in the 
little town of Biaritz, and had already declared himself a 
partizan of the Bourbons. It was called Fort Charlotte, 
and of course gave rise to as many puns, as are usually 
produced by the appearance of a tongue, or a dish of brains, 
at a cockney's table ; nor was any one more parturient of 
such puns, than the father of the young lady himself. Be- 
tween this gentleman, and the officer commanding the out- 
posts, a constant intercourse was kept up. The town of 
Biaritz, where he dwelt, lying upon the sea- shore, and out of 
the direct line of operations, was not occupied either by the 
French or allied troops. It constituted, on the contrary, 
a sort of neutral territory, which was visited, occasionally, 
by patroles for both armies ; but so far retained its inde- 
pendence, that its inhabitants were in the constant practice 
of carrying their commodities for sale, not only to our 
camp? but to the camp of the enemy. Though the mayor. 



159 

professed to keep up no such species of traffic, the state of 
his property, overrun by the invading force, furnished him 
also with a legitimate excuse for occasionally looking after 
its preservation ; and hence he contrived, from time to 
time, to make his appearance amongt us, without becom- 
ing, as far as I could learn, an object of suspicion to his 
countrymen. 

As the duty in which we were now employed was by no 
means agreeable, and as any very lengthened exposure to 
the inclemency of such a season must have proved detri- 
mental to the health of those exposed, it was customary 
to relieve the advanced corps at the end of three days, by 
which means each brigade, at least in the left column of 
the army, found itself in the field, and under canvass, only 
once in three or four weeks. That to which I was attach- 
ed, rilled what may be termed the stationary out-posts, 
only four times during the entire winter, nor have I any 
reason to believe that we were, in this respect, peculiarly 
favoured. Of the events which took place during our 
present interval of more active service, it is needless to 
enter into any minute detail. They were such as gene- 
rally occur on. similar occasions ; that is to say, our time 
was passed in alternate watching and labour ; whilst an 
uninterrupted continuance of cold and stormy weather, 
rendered the arrival of the troops destined to succeed us 
highly acceptable. Nor was this temporary endurance of 
wardship and fatigue without its good effect. We learned 
rom it to lay aside what yet remained to us of fastidious- 
ness, and we returned to our quarters perfectly reconciled 
to those inconveniencies and drawbacks, which existed 
more, perhaps, in our imagination, than in reality. 

I should try, beyond all endurance, the patience of my 
reader, were I to relate in regular detail, the occurrences 
of each day, from the 21st of December, 1813, when we 



160 

returned to our cantonments, to the 2d of January, 1814, 
when we again quitted them. Enough is done, when I 
state in few words, that the ordinary resources against 
ennui, that is to say, shooting, coursing, and even fishing, 
were adopted ; and that the evenings were spent, for the 
most part, in convivial parties, to the inordinate consump- 
tion of segars, wine, and sometimes of patience. Nor 
were other, and more rational employments wanting. On 
more than one occasion I visited St. Jean de Luz, attend- 
ed high mass, and the theatre ; and once I rode as far 
to the rear as Irun. The effect of the latter ride upon 
myself, was vivid at the time ; and may perhaps be worth 
conveying to others. 

The distance from our present cantonments to the town 
of Irun might amount to sixteen or eighteen miles. Over 
the whole of that country, between the two extreme points, 
the tide of war, it will be recollected, had swept ; not bois- 
terously, but with comparative harmlessness, — as when 
one army rapidly retreats, and another rapidly follows, — 
but slowly and ruinously; every foot of ground having 
been obstinately contested, and hence every fold, garden, 
and dwelling, having been exposed to the ravages insepa- 
rable from the progress of hostilities. The spectacle 
which presented itself on each side of the road, was accor- 
dingly distressing in the extreme ; the houses and hovels 
were every where in ruins, the inclosures and cultivated 
fields were all laid waste and desolate, whilst the road it- 
self was strewed with the carcases of oxen, mules, hor; 
and other animals, which had dropped down from fatigue, 
and died upon their march. I was particularly struck with 
the aspect of things in and about the town of Urogne. 
Of the works on the heights above it, so carefully and so 
skilfully erected by Marshal Souit, some had already be- 
gun to yield to the destructive operations of the elo- 



161 

ments, and others had been wantonly demolished by the 
followers of the camp ; whilst, in the town itself, where 
so lately was heard the roar of cannon, and the rattle of 
musketry, the most perfect silence prevailed. It was 
wholly tenantless ; not even a sutler or muleteer had taken 
up his abode there ; the cavalry were all withdrawn ; and 
of the original inhabitants not one had returned. The rea- 
der will easily believe that I looked round, during this part 
of my journey,with peculiar interest, for the fields across 
which I had myself skirmished ; more especially for a 
friendly hedge, the intervention of a stout stake in which 
had saved my better arm; and that I did not pass the 
churchyard, without dismounting to pay a visit to the grave 
of my former comrades. Neither was I unmindful of the 
chateau, in which, to my no small surprise, I had found a 
letter from my father ; and the change wrought in it, since 
last I beheld it, gave me a more perfect idea of the disas- 
trous effects of war, than any other object upon which I 
had yet looked. 

When a man of peaceable habits, — one, for example, 
who has spent his whole life in this favoured country, 
under the shelter of his own sacred roof, — reads of war, 
and the miseries attendant upon war, his thoughts invaria- 
bly turn to scenes of outrage and rapine, in which sol- 
diers are the actors, and to which the hurry and excitement 
of battle give rise. I mean not to say that a battle is ever 
fought without bringing havoc upon the face of that par- 
ticular spot of earth, which chances to support it. But 
the mischief done by both contending armies, to the build- 
ings and property of the inhabitants, is a mere nothing, 
when compared to that which the followers of a successful 
army work. These wretches tread in the steps of the 
the armed force, with the fidelity and haste of kites and 
vultures. No sooner is a battle won, and the ' troops 

14* 



, 162 

pushed forward, than they spread themselves over the 
entire territory gained ; and all whicfi had been spared by 
those, in whom an act of plunder, if excusable at all, might 
most readily be excused, is immediately laid waste. The 
chateau of which I am speaking, for example, and which 
I had left perfectly entire, fully furnished, and in good or- 
der, was now one heap of ruins. Not a chair or a table 
remained ; not a volume of all the library so lately examin- 
ed by me, existed ; nay, it was evident from the blacken- 
ed state of the walls, and the dilapidation of the ceilings, 
that fire had been wantonly applied to complete the devas- 
tation which avarice had begun. To say the truth, I could 
not but regret at the moment, that I had not helped myself 
io a little more of Monsieur Briguette's property, than the 
Spanish Grammar already advertised for redemption. 

Having cleared Urogne, and passed through the remains 
of the barricade which I had assisted in carrying on the 
tenth of the last month, I soon arrived at the site of the 
village of which I have formerly taken notice, as being 
peopled and furnished with shops and other places of ac- 
commodation, by sutlers and adventurers. The huts, or 
cottages, still stood, though they were all unroofed, and 
many of them otherwise in ruins ; but the sign of the 
" Jolly Soldier" had disappeared. Like other incitements 
to folly, if not to absolute vice, it had followed the tract 
of the multitude. I marked, too, as I proceeded, the 
bleak hill-side on which our tents had so long contended 
with the winds of heaven ; and I could not help thinking, 
how many of those who had found shelter beneath their 
canvass, were now sleeping upon the bosom of mother- 
earth ; of course, I paid to their memories the tribute of 
a regret as unavailing as, I fear, it was transitory. 

By and by I reached the brow of the last height on the 
French border, and the Bidaossa once more lay beneath 



163 

us. The day on which my present excursion was* made, 
chanced to be one of the few lovely days with which, 
during that severe winter, we were favoured. The air 
was frosty, but not intensely so ; the sky was blue and 
cloudless, and the sun shone out with a degree of warmth, 
which cheered, without producing languor or weariness. 
High up, the mountains which overhang the river were 
covered with snow, which sparkled in the sunbeams, and 
contrasted beautifully with the sombre hue of the leafless 
groves beneath, whilst the stream itself flowed on as 
brightly and as placidly as if it had never witnessed a 
more desperate struggle than that which the fisherman 
maintains with a trout of extraordinary agility and dimen- 
sions. Fain would I have persuaded myself that I was 
quietly travelling in a land of peace, but there were too 
many proofs of the contrary ever and anon presented, to 
permit the delusion to keep itself for one moment in the 
mind. 



CHAPTER XV. 



The stone bridge which was wont to connect the two 
banks of the Bidaossa, and which the French, after their 
evacuation of the Spanish territory, had destroyed, was 
not, I found, repaired, but a temporary bridge of pontoons 
rendered the stream passable, without subjecting the tra- 
veller to the necessity of fording. A party of artificers 
were, moreover, at work, renewing the arches which had 
been broken down, whilst a new tete-du-pont on the oppo- 
site side from the old one, was already erected, to be turn- 
ed to account in case of any unlooked-for reverse of for- 
tune, and consequent retreat beyond the frontier. I ob- 
served, too, that the whole front of the pass, beyond the 
river, was blocked up with redoubts, batteries, and breast- 
works, and that Lord Wellington, though pressing forward 
with Victory in his train, was not unmindful of the fickle- 
ness of the blind goddess. 

As I was crossing the pontoon bridge, two objects, very 
different in kind, but intimately connected the one with the 
other, attracted my attention almost at the same moment. 
A body of Spanish cavalry, which appeared to have passed 
the river at one of the fords a little higher up, presented 
themselves as they wound up a steep by-path which com- 
municated with the high road just beside the old tete-dn- 
pont. They were Guerillas, and were consequently cloth- 
ed, armed, and mounted, in a manner the least uniform 
that can well be imagined. Of the men, some were ar- 
rayed in green jackets, with slouched hats, and long fea- 
thers ; others in blue, helmeted like our yeomanry, or artil- 
lery-drivers, whilst not a few wore cuirasses and brazen 



165 

head-pieces, such as they had probably plundered from their 
slaughtered enemies. But, notwithstanding this absence 
of uniformity in dress, the general appearance of these 
troopers was exceedingly imposing. They were, on the 
whole, well mounted, and they marched in that sort of 
loose and independent manner, which, without indicating 
the existence of any discipline amongst them, bespoke no 
want of self-confidence in individuals. Their whole ap- 
pearance, indeed, for they could not exceed sixty or eighty 
men, reminded me forcibly of a troop of bandits ; and the 
resemblance was not the less striking, that they moved to 
the sound, not of trumpets or other martial music, but of 
their own voices. They were singing a wild air as they 
passed, in which sometimes one chanted by himself, then 
two or three chimed in, and, by and by, the whole squad- 
ron joined in a very musical and spirited chorus. 

The other object which divided my attention with these 
bold-looking, but lawless warriors, was about half a dozen 
dead bodies, which the flow of the tide brought at this 
moment in contact with the pontoons. They were quite 
naked, bleached perfectly white, and so far had yielded to 
the operation of decay, that they floated like rags of linen 
on the surface of the water. Perhaps these were some of 
our own men who had fallen in the passage of the river 
upwards of eight weeks ago ; or perhaps they were the 
bodies of such of the French soldiers as had perished in 
their retreat after one of Soult's desperate, but fruitless 
efforts, to relieve the garrison in St. Sebastian's. Who, 
or what they were, I had no means of ascertaining, nor 
was it of much consequence ; to whatever nation they had 
once belonged, they were now food for the fishes ; and to 
the fishes they were left, no one dreaming that it was re- 
quisite to pull them to land, or to rob one set of reptiles 
of their prey only to feed another. 



166 

Such is the summary of the events which befell me in a 
morning's ride from the cantonments at Gauthory, to the 
town of Irun. After crossing the river, my progress was 
direct, and of little interest. I journeyed, indeed, amid 
scenes all of them familiar, and therefore, in some degree, 
having a claim upon my own notice ; but I neither saw 
nor met with any object worth describing to my reader. 
It was a little past the hour of noon, when my horse's 
hoofs clanked upon the pavement of Irun. 

I found that city just recovering from the bustle which 
the departure of a corps of twenty thousand Spanish 
infantry may be supposed to have produced. This vast 
body of men had, it appeared, behaved so badly in the ac- 
tion of the ninth of November, that Lord Wellington was 
induced to order them to the rear in disgrace ; and they 
had remained in quarters in Irun and the neighbourhood, 
till on the day preceding my arrival, when they were again 
permitted to join the army. By whom they were command- 
ed on the day of their shame, I have totally forgotten ; nor 
will I cast a slur upon the reputation of any general officer, 
by naming one at random. 

Notwithstanding the departure of so great a multitude, 
I found the place far from deserted either by military or 
civil inhabitants. A garrison of two or three thousand 
soldiers was still there ; a corps, I believe, of militia, or 
national guards ; whilst few of the houses were unoccu- 
pied, though whether by their rightful occupants or not, I 
take it not upon me to determine. One thing, however, I 
perfectly recollect, and that is, the extreme incivility and 
absence of all hospitality which distinguished them. Whe- 
ther it was that the troops so long quartered amongst them 
had filled them with hatred of my countrymen, or whether 
that jealousy which the Spanish people have uniformly felt, 
and which, in spite of all that Lord Nugent and Sir Robert 



167 

Wilson may assert to the contrary, they feel, even now, 
towards the English, was, of its own accord, beginning to 
gather strength, I cannot tell ; but I well remember that it 
was with some difficulty I persuaded the keeper of an inn 
to put up my own and my servant's horses in his stable ; 
and with still greater difficulty that I could prevail upon 
him to dress an omelet for my dinner. Nor was this all : 
my journey, be it known, had been undertaken not from 
curiosity alone, but in the hope of laying in a stock of 
coffee, cheese, tea, &c, at a cheap rate. But every effort 
to obtain these was fruitless, the merchants sulkily refusing 
to deal with me, except on the most exorbitant terms. I 
was not sorry, under such circumstances, when, having 
finished my omelet, and baited and rested my horses, I 
turned my back upon Irun, and took once more a direction 
towards the front. 

I would lay before my readers a detail of another ex- 
cursion executed on Christmas-day, to St. Jean De LiiZj 
were I not fully aware that there are few among them who 
are not as well acquainted as myself with the circum- 
stances attending the celebration of that festival in a Ro- 
man Catholic country. On the present occasion, all things 
were done with as much pomp and show as the state of 
the city, filled with hostile battalions, and more than half- 
deserted by its inhabitants and priesthood, would permit. 
For my own part, I viewed the whole not with levity, cer- 
tainly, but as certainly without devotion ; the entire scene 
appeared to me better calculated to amuse the external 
senses, and dazzle the imagination, than to stir up the 
deeper and more rational sensations of piety. I returned 
home, nevertheless, well pleased with the mode jn which 
the morning had been spent ; and, joining a party of some 
ten or twelve who had clubbed their rations for the sake of 
setting forth a piece of roast-beef worthy of the occasion, 



168 

I passed my evening not less agreeably than I had passed 
the morning. 

Among other events during our sojourn at Gauthory, a 
sale of the effects of such of our brother- officers as had fal- 
len in the late battles, took place. On such occasions, the 
serjeant-major generally acts the part of auctioneer, and a 
strange compound of good and bad feeling accompanies 
the progress of the auction. In every party of men, there 
will always be some whose thoughts, centring entirely in 
self, regard everything as commendable, or the reverse, 
solely as it increases their enjoyments, or diminishes them. 
Even the sale of the clothes and accoutrements of one who 
but a few weeks or days before was their living, and per- 
haps favourite companion, furnishes to such men food for 
mirth ; and I am sorry to say, that during the sale of 
which I now speak, more laughter was heard than re- 
dounded to the credit of those who joined in, or produced 
it. In passing this censure upon others, I mean not to 
exclude myself — by no means. I fear that few laughed 
more heartily than I, when shirts with nine tails, or no 
tails at all, were held up against the sun by the facetious 
auctioneer; and when sundry pairs of trowsers were press- 
ed upon our notice as well adapted for summer-wear, inas- 
much as their numerous apertures promised to admit a free 
current of air to cool the blood. But, with one or two ex- 
ceptions, I must say, that there was not a man present who 
thought of the former owners of these tail-less shirts with- 
out affection, and who would not have willingly given the 
full value of the shirts themselves, could that sum have 
redeemed them from the power of the grave. This sale, 
however, acted as a sort of warning to me. Though my 
wardrobe was in as good condition as that of most men, I 
chose not to have it or its owner made the subject of a joke, 
so I inserted among my few memoranda, a request that no 



169 

article of mine should be put up to auction, but that all 
should be given, in case I fell, as expressly appointed. 

I have said, that the usual means of defeating ennui, 
namely, shooting, coursing, and fishing, were resorted to 
by Graham and myself, whilst we inhabited these canton- 
ments. Among other experiments, we strolled down one 
lovely morning towards the sea, with the hope of catching 
some fish for our dinner. In that hope we were disap- 
pointed, but the exquisite beauty of the marine view to 
which our walk introduced us, amply made amends for the 
absence of sport. It was one of those soft and enervating 
days which even in England we sometimes meet with, 
during the latter weeks of December, and which, in the 
south of France, are very frequent at that season. The 
sun was shining brightly and warmly, not a breath of air 
was astir, and the only sound distinguishable by us, who 
stood on the summit of the cliff, was the gentle and unceas- 
ing murmur of tiny waves, as they threw themselves upon 
the shingle. The extent of waters upon which we gazed, 
was bounded on the right by the head-lands at the mouth 
of the Adour, and on the left by those near Passages. Be- 
fore us the waste seemed interminable, and I am not sure 
that it was the less sublime because not a boat or vessel of 
any description could be descried upon it. At such mo- 
ments as these, and when contemplating such a scene, it 
is hardly possible for any man to hinder his thoughts from 
wandering away from the objects immediately around him, 
to the land of his nativity, and the home of his fathers. I 
do not recollect any hour of my life during which the 
thought of home came more powerfully across me than 
the present. Perhaps, indeed, the season of the year had 
some effect in producing these thoughts. It was the sea- 
son of mirth and festivity — of licensed uproar and inno- 
cent irregularity; and cold and heartless must he be win • 



170 

remembers not his home, however far removed from him, 
when that season returns. I confess that the idea of mine 
brought something like moisture into my eyes, of which I 
had then no cause to be ashamed, and the remembrance of 
which produces in me no sense of shame even now. 

The walk toward the sea became from this time my 
favourite, but it was not my only one. Attended by my 
faithful spaniel, (a little animal, by the way, which never 
deserted me even in battle,) I wandered with a gun across 
my shoulder over a great extent of country, and in all di- 
rections. I found the scenery beautiful, but far less beau- 
tiful than I had expected to find it in the south of France. 
There was no want of wood, it is true ; and some fields, or 
rather fields lying fallow, were intermixed, in fair propor- 
tion, with green meadows, and sloping downs. But there 
was nothing striking or romantic anywhere, except in the 
bold boundary of the Pyrenees, now twenty miles distant* 
I observed, however, that there was no want of chateaux 
and gentlemen's seats. These were scattered about in 
considerable numbers, as if this had been a favourite resort 
of those few among the French gentry who prefer the quiet 
of the country to the bustle and hurry of Paris. Some of 
these chateaux were, moreover, exceedingly elegant in 
their appearance, and indicated from that, as well as from 
their extent, that they belonged to men of higher rank 
than the Mayor of Biaritz ; but the generality were of a 
description which bespoke their owners as belonging to 
the class of wealthy merchants who supported their town- 
houses and ware-rooms in Bayonne, or perhaps in Bour- 
deaux. But all were thoroughly ransacked. Over them, 
as well as over the houses in our rear, the storm of rapine 
had passed, leaving its usual traces of dilapidation and ruin 
behind. 

It is needless to continue a narrative of such events. 



171 

Thus passed several weeks, the business of one day re- 
sembling, in almost every respect, the business of another. 
Whenever the weather would permit, I made a point of 
living out of doors ; when the contrary was the case, I 
adopted the ordinary expedients to kill time with. Nor 
were we, all this while, without a few occurrences calcula- 
ted to hinder our forgetting that we really were in an ene- 
my's country, and at the seat of war. The bloody flag 
was more than once hoisted on the tower of the church of 
Arcanques, as a signal that the French troops were in mo- 
tion, and we, in our turn, stood to arms. But of such alarms 
almost all proved to be groundless, and those which were 
not intendedly so, might as well have been omitted. The 
fact was that Soult, having been called upon at this time 
to detach some divisions of his veteran soldiers to the as- 
sistance of Napoleon, already hard pressed by the allies in 
the north, was under the necessity of impressing into his 
service every male capable of bearing arms, who was not 
absolutely required to cultivate the soil. The entire winter 
was accordingly spent by him in training the conscripts to 
the use of arms. He marched and countermarched them 
from place to place, that they might learn to move with 
celerity and in order. He set up targets for them to fire 
at, and caused frequent alarms to our piquets, when teach- 
ing his recruits to take a correct aim ; he was, in short, 
now, as he always was, indefatigable in providing for the 
defence of the country committed to his care, and in his 
endeavours to make the most of a force assuredly not ade- 
quate for the purpose. But we were not doomed to be 
continually the dupes of false alarms, nor to be amused 
for ever with the issuing of orders, which were scarcely 
issued when they were again retracted. A necessity for a 
real movement occurred at last, and we bade adieu for 
ever to the cottage at Gauthory, which we first entered 
with regret, and finally quitted without reluctance. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

It might be about six or seven o'clock in the morning 
of the third of January, 1814, when an orderly serjeant 
burst into our chamber, and desired us to get the men un- 
der arms without delay, for that the enemy were in motion. 
In an instant we sprang from our beds, dressed and accou- 
tred forthwith, ordered the trumpeter to sound the assem- 
bly, and our servants to prepare breakfast. The last of 
these injunctions was obeyed in an incredibly short space 
of time, insomuch, that whilst the troops were hurrying to 
their stations, we were devouring our morning's repast ; 
and in little more than a quarter of an hour from the first 
signal of alarm, the regiment was formed in marching-or- 
der upon the high road. Nor were many moments wasted 
in that situation. The word was given to advance, and 
we again pressed forward towards the mayor's house. 

When we reached the post of Ammon, of which so 
much notice has already been taken, we found, indeed, 
that the whole of the left column was moving, but that the 
old battle-ground around the chateau, and in the woods 
and inclosures near it, was left entirely to the protection of 
the ordinary piquets. Of the enemy's forces not a single 
battalion showed itself here ; whilst our own were all filing 
towards the right ; a rout into which we also quickly struck, 
as if following the natural current of the stream of war. 
In this journey we passed over a good deal of ground 
which was already familiar to us, skirting the brow of the 
ravine which had separated the hostile armies during the 
pauses in their late contest, till, having reached the mea- 
dow where our camp had formerly been pitched, we were 



173 

turned into a new direction ; and led upwards till wc gained 
the top of the hill on which the church of Arcanques stands, 
and round the base of which the village of Arcanques is 
scattered. In the maintenance of this post we relieved a 
section of the light division, which immediately took a 
rightward course ; thus indicating that the whole strength 
of the army would be mustered at one extremity, and other 
points of the line left to the protection of a few scattered 
brigades. 

It was evening before we reached our ground, and as 
yet no provisions had been issued out to us. Of course, 
our appetites were excellent, indeed the appetites of men 
who have nothing to eat are seldom sickly ; and this we 
amply demonstrated, as soon as an opportunity of demon- 
stating the fact was offered. Little time, however, was 
given for the enjoyment of social intercourse or bodily 
rest ; for we had hardly swallowed a hasty meal, when the 
better half of the corps was sent forward to occupy a few 
cottages in front of the village ; and the remainder of the 
night was spent in that state of excitement and anxiety, 
which necessarily waits upon such as form the out-posts or 
advanced guard of an army. 

My own station this night was not exactly at one of the 
most forward posts, but in a ruinous building at the out- 
skirts of the village, where I was placed, with a body of 
men, to support the piquets. The thing into which we 
were ushered, had, no doubt ? once upon a time been a ha- 
bitable mansion ; at present it consisted of little else than 
the shell, and a very wretched shell, of a farm-house. 
Not only were the doors and windows gone, but the ceil- 
ings and partitions, which were wont to divide one apart- 
ment from another, were all broken doAvn ; whilst the roof 
was in a great measure stripped off, and the fragments 
which remained of it were perforated in all directions. I 

15* 



174 

well recollect that the night was piercingly cold. The frost 
had, of late, set in with renewed severity ; and a sharp 
northerly wind blowing, swept with a melancholy sound 
through our dilapidated mansion. But we were on little 
ceremony here. Large fires were lighted in different 
places upon the earthern floor, round which we gladly 
crept ; whilst an allowance of grog being brought up, and 
pipes and segars lighted, we were soon as merry and as 
light-hearted as men could desire to be. It is true, that 
ever and anon — every half hour, for example — a party of 
six or eight of us sallied forth, to patrole from piquet to 
piquet, and to see that all was right between ; but we re- 
turned from such excursions with increased predilection 
for our fire-side ; and the events of the ramble, be they 
what they might, furnished food for conversation till ano- 
ther was deemed necessary. 

So passed the night of the third ; and on the morning of 
the fourth I expected, as an ordinary matter, to be relieved, 
and to be withdrawn to the rear ; but it was not so. Men, 
it appeared, were scarce at this point of the line ; and 
hence those who formed it were called upon to perform 
double duty. Instead of being removed to some place 
where a sound night's rest might be enjoyed, I and my 
party found ourselves, on the morning of the fourth, order- 
ed to advance, and to occupy the foremost chain; from 
which we had the satisfaction of beholding the enemy, in 
very considerable force, at the distance of little more than 
a quarter of a mile from our sentries. This sight, how- 
ever, only gave a spur to our exertions, and hindered us 
from repining at what we might have been otherwise tempt- 
ed to consider as an undue exercise of our powers of 
watchfulness. 

The particular piquet of which I was placed in command 
happened to be detached from all others, and to be nearly 



175 

half a mile in front of the rest. It was stationed on a sort 
of sugar-loaf hill, separated from our own regular chain 
of posts by a deep and rugged glen, and kept apart from 
the French lines only by an imaginary boundary of hedges 
and paling. So exposed, indeed, was the spot, that I re- 
ceived positive orders to abandon it as soon as darkness 
should set in, and to retire across the hollow to the high 
grounds opposite. The reader will easily believe, that, in 
such a situation, little leisure was given for relaxation either 
of body or mind. During the entire day, indeed, my occu- 
pation consisted in prying closely, with the aid of a tele- 
scope into the enemy's lines ; in considering how I could 
best maintain myself in case of an attack, and retreat most 
securely in case I should be overpowered. 

The view from my piquet-house was, however, extreme- 
ly animating. Beneath me, at the distance of only two 
fields, lay the French out -posts ; about a quarter of a mile 
or half a mile in rear of which, were encamped several 
large bodies both of infantry and cavalry. Of these, it 
was evident that vast numbers were raw recruits. They 
were at drill, marching and countermarching, and perform- 
ing various evolutions during the greater part of the day : 
a circumstance which, at first, excited no little uneasiness 
on my part, inasmuch as I expected, every moment, that 
my post would be assaulted ; but as soon as I saw a target 
erected, and the troops practising with ball, I became easy. 
"There will be no attack to-day," thought I, "otherwise 
so much ammunition would not be wasted." 

I had hardly said so, when I observed a mounted officer 
advancing from the enemy's camp toward the base of the 
hill which my party held. He was followed by a cloud of 
people, in apparent confusion, it is true, but not more con- 
fused than French skirmishers generally appear to be; who 
lay down behind the hedges in the immediate front of my 



176 

sentinels, as if waiting for an order to fire and to rush on. 
I had just ordered my people under arms, and was pro- 
ceeding towards the sentries for the purpose of giving a 
few necessary orders, when the French officer halted ; and 
a trumpeter, who accompanied him, sounded a parley. Of 
course I descended the hill, and causing my trumpeter to 
answer the signal, the Frenchman advanced. He was the 
bearer of letters from such British officers and soldiers as 
had been taken in the late actions ; and he likewise handed 
over to me several sums of money and changes of clothing 
for some of his countrymen who had fallen into our hands. 

This being done, we naturally entered into conversation 
touching the state of Europe, and the events of the war. 
My new acquaintance utterly denied the truth of Napole- 
on's reverses, and seemed to doubt the idea of an invasion 
of France by the armies of the North. He assured me 
that the whole country was in arms ; that every peasant 
had become a soldier ; that bands of partizans were form- 
ing on all sides of us ; and that it was in vain to hope that 
we should ever pass the Adour, or proceed farther within 
the sacred territory than we had already proceeded. He 
spoke of the desertion of the German corps with a degree 
of bitter contempt, which proved the very reverse of what 
he was desirous of proving, that the event had greatly 
shaken the confidence of Soult in his auxiliaries ; and, 
above all, he affected to regard the whole of the recent 
operations as mere affairs, or trifling contests of detach- 
ments, in no way capable of influencing the final issues of 
the war. Yet he was not displeased when I laughed at 
his style of oratory ; and, after gasconading a good deal, 
both the one and the other^we shook hands, and parted 
the best friends imaginable. 

I had hardly quitted him, at least I had not reached my 
my station on the top of the hill, when I heard myself 



177 

'ailed by one of the sentinels, and turned round. I saw 
the individual with whom I had been conversing sitting in 
the midst of a little group of French officers, and watching 
the progress of an old woman who was coming towards 
our lines. She held a large bottle in her hand, which she 
lifted up to attract my notice, and continued to move for- 
ward, gabbling loudly all the while. Obeying her signal, 1 
returned, and met her a few yards in front of the sentries, 
when she delivered to me about a couple of quarts of brandy, 
as a present from the French officer ; who had desired her 
to say, that if I could spare them a little tea in exchange, they 
would feel obliged. It so happened that I had brought no 
such luxury as tea to my post. Of this I informed the fe- 
male Mercury, but I desired her to offer my best acknow- 
ledgments to her employers, and to add, that I had sent to 
the rear in order to procure it. With this message she ac- 
cordingly departed, having promised to keep in sight for at 
least half an hour, and to return as soon as I should make 
a sign that the tea had arrived. 

My bugler made good haste, and soon returned with 
about a quarter of a pound of black tea, the half of the 
stock which remained in my canteen. In the meanwhile 
the French officers continued sitting together, and all rose 
when I waved my cap to their carrier. The old lady was 
not remiss in taking the hint. I handed over to her the 
little parcel, with numerous apologies for its tenuity ; and 
I had the satisfaction to perceive, that, trifling as it was, it 
proved acceptable. The party pulled off their hats as an 
acknowledgment — I did the same ; and we each departed 
to our respective stations. 

There is something extremely agreeable in carrying on 
hostilities after this fashion ; yet the matter may be push- 
ed too far. Towards the close of the war, indeed, so good 
an understanding prevailed between the out-posts of the 



178 

two armies, that Lord Wellington found it necessary to 
to forbid all communication whatever ; nor will the reader 
wonder at this, when I state to him the reason. A field- 
officer, I shall not say in what part of the line, in going his 
rounds one night, found that the whole of the Serjeant's 
piquet-guard had disappeared. He was, of course, both 
alarmed and surprised at the occurrence ; but his alarm 
gave place to absolute astonishment, when, on stretching 
forward to observe whether there was any movement in 
the enemy's lines, he peeped into a cottage from which a 
noise of revelry was proceeding, and beheld the party sit- 
ting in the most sociable manner with a similar party of 
Frenchmen, and carousing jovially. As soon as he show- 
ed himself, his own men rose, and wishing their compa- 
nions a good night, returned with the greatest sang-froid 
to their post. It is, however, but justice to add, that the 
sentinels on both sides faithfully kept their ground, and 
that no intention of deserting existed on either part. In 
fact, it was a sort of custom, the French and English 
guards visiting each other by turns. 

At the period of which I have spoken above, however, 
no such extraordinary intimacy had begun. As yet we 
were merely civil towards one another ; and even that de- 
gree of civility was for a while interrupted, by the surprisal 
of a French post by a detachment from General Beresford's 
division, on the river Nive. Not that the piquet was wan- 
tonly cut off, or that any blame could possibly attach to the 
general who ordered its surprisal. The fact was, that the 
out-post in question occupied a hill upon the allied bank of 
the stream. It was completely insulated, and detached 
from all other French posts, and appeared to be held as 
much out of perverseness, as because it commanded a view 
of the British lines to a great extent. Lord Beresford had 
repeatedly despatched flags of truce, to request that it 



179 

? flight be withdrawn, expressing great unwillingness to 
violate the sacred character which had been tacitly confer' 
red upon the piquets ; but Soult was deaf to his entreaties, 
and replied to his threats, only by daring him to carry them 
into execution. A party was accordingly ordered out, one 
stormy night, to cut off the guard ; and so successful was 
the attempt, that an officer and thirty soldiers, with a mid- 
shipman and a few seamen, who had charge of the boat by 
which the reliefs were daily ferried over, were taken. Not 
a shot was fired. The French, trusting to the storm for 
protection, had called in their videttes, having only one on 
duty at the door of the house, and he found his arms pi- 
nioned, and himself secured, ere the roar of the tempest 
had permitted him to detect the sound of approaching steps. 
The unfortunate subaltern who commanded, sent in a few 
days after for his baggage ; but the reply was, that the ge- 
neral would forward to him a halter, as the only indulgence 
which he merited. 

But to return to my own personal narrative. After the 
adventure of the tea, nothing particular occurred whilst I 
continued in charge of the post. As soon as darkness had 
fairly set in, I proposed, in obedience to my orders, to 
withdraw ; and I carried my design into execution without 
any molestation on the part of the enemy. It was, how- 
ever, their custom to take possession of the hill as soon as the 
British troops abandoned it; and hence I had not proceeded 
above half way across the ravine, when I heard the voices 
of a French detachment, which must have marched into 
the court-yard of the house almost at the very moment 
when I and my men marched out of it. But they made 
no attempt to annoy us, and we rejoined the corps from 
which we had been detached, in perfect safety. 

The next day was spent in a state of rest in the chateau 
©f Arcanques. It is a fine old pile, and stands at the foot 



180 

of the little eminence on which the church is built. Like 
many mansions in England of the date of Queen Elizabeth 
or Henry VIII., it is surrounded by a high wall ; within 
which is a paved court, leading up to the main entrance. 
But it, too, like all the buildings near, bore ample testimo- 
ny to the merciless operation of war, in its crumbling ma- 
sonry and blackened timbers. There was a grove of ve- 
nerable old firs round it, from which all the late firing had 
not entirely expelled a collection of rooks. 

Of the church I have a less perfect recollection than I 
have of the chateau. I remember, indeed, that its situa- 
tion was highly striking, and that the view from the church- 
yard was of no ordinary beauty. I recollect, likewise, 
several statues of knights and ladies reposing in niches 
pound the walls ; some with the cross upon their shields, 
and their legs laid athwart, to show that they had served 
in Palestine, or belonged to the order of the Sepulchre ; 
and others in the same ancient costume of chain armour, 
But whether they were worthy of admiration, as specimens 
of the art of sculpture, I cannot now take it upon me to 
declare. I remarked, however, that the devices on the 
shields of most of these warriors, and the crests upon their 
helmets, resembled the coat and crest which were em- 
blazoned over the gateway of the chateau ; and hence I 
concluded that they were the effigies of the ^brmer lords of 
the castle, and that the family which owned it must have 
been at one period of some consequence. 

It was not, however, in examining these buildings alone 
that I found amusement for my hours of idleness. From 
the church-yard, as I have already stated, the view is at 
all times magnificent, and it was rendered doubly so to- 
day by the movements of our army. The tide of war 
seemed to have taken a sudden turn ; and the numerous 
corps which had so lately defiled towards the right could 



181 

how be seen retracing their steps, and deploying towards 
the left. It was a magnificent spectacle. From the high 
ground on which I stood I could see very nearly to the two 
ext reme points of the position ; and the effect produced by 
the marching of nearly 120,000 men, may be more easily 
imagined than described. The roads of communication 
ran, for the most part, in the rear of Arcanques. They 
were all crowded — cavalry, infantry, and artillery, were 
moving ; some columns marching in eschellon, others 
pausing, from time to time, as if to watch some object in 
their front ; whilst, ever and anon, a grove, or wood, would 
receive an armed mass into its bosom, and then seem to 
be on fire, from the flashing of the sun upon the bayonets. 
Happily for me it was a day of bright sun-shine, conse- 
quently every object looked to advantage ; nor, I suspect, 
have many of our oldest soldiers beheld a more striking 
panorama than the combination of the objects around me 
this day produced. 

I stood and watched with intense interest the shifting 
scene, till it gradually settled down into one of quiet. 
The various brigades, as I afterwards learned, were only 
returning from the point towards which the appearance of 
danger had hurried them, and now proceeded to establish 
themselves once more in their cantonments. The French 
general, either awed by the state of preparedness in which 
he found us, or satisfied with having called us for a few 
days into the field at this inclement season, laid aside 
the threatening attitude which he had assumed. It suited 
not the policy of our gallant leader, to expose his troops 
wantonly to the miseries of a winter campaign, and hence 
rest and shelter were again the order of the day. But 
in these the coips to which I was attached had as yet 
no participation, our march being directed, on the fol- 
lowing morning, to the vicinity of Fort Charlotte, where 
the charge of the piquets was once more assigned to us. 

16 



CHAPTER XVI! 



The transactions of the three days, from the 8th to the 
11th of January, resembled so completely, in att particulars, 
the transactions of other days, during which it fell to our 
lot to keep guard beside the Mayor's house, that I will not 
try the patience of my reader by narrating them at length. 
He will accordingly take it for granted, that the ordinary 
routine of watching and labour was gone through ; that no 
attempt was made, on the part of the enemy, to surprise 
or harass us ; and that, with the exception of a little suf- 
fering from extreme cold, and the want of a moderate 
proportion of sleep, we had no cause to complain of our 
destiny. When we first came to our ground, we found 
the redoubt in a state of considerable forwardness ; quite 
defensible, indeed, in case of emergency ; and we left it 
on the last of the month mentioned above, even more per- 
fect, and capable of containing at least a thousand men 
as its garrison. It was not, however, with any feeling of 
regret that we beheld a brigade of guards approaching our 
encampment, about two hours after noon, on the 11th, 
nor did we experience the slightest humiliation in sur- 
rendering to them our tents, our working tools, and the 
post of honour. 

Now then, we looked forward, not only with resignation, 
but with real satisfaction, to a peaceable sojourn of a few 
weeks at Gauthory. We had never, it is true, greatly 
admired these cantonments, but the events of the last eight 
or ten days had taught us to set its true value upon a set- 
tled habitation of any description ; and we accordingly made 



183 

up our minds to grumble no more. But just as the line of 
march was beginning to form, intelligence reached us, 
that the place of our abode was changed ; other troops, it 
appeared, had been placed in our former apartments ; and 
we were, in consequence, commanded to house ourselves 
in - the village of Bedart. I mean not to assert that the 
order was received with any degree of dissatisfaction ; but 
feeling as at that moment we did, it was, in truth, a matter 
of perfect indifference where we were stationed, provided 
only we had a roof over our heads, and an opportunity 
was granted of resting from our labours. 

The village of Bedart is built upon an eminence, imme- 
diately in rear of the large common on which the advanced 
brigade lay encamped. It consists of about thirty houses, 
some of them of a tolerable size, but the majority were 
cottages. Into one of the largest my friend and myself 
were fortunate enough to be ushered ; and as we found 
chimneys and windows already formed, the former permit- 
ting us to keep fires alight without the attendant misery of 
smoke, and the latter proof against the weather, we sin- 
cerely congratulated ourselves on our change of abode. 
Nor was it only on account of the superiority of these over 
our former quarters, that we rejoiced in this migration. 
The country around proved to be better stocked with game, 
especially with hares, than any which we had yet inhabit- 
ed ; and hence we continued, by the help of our guns and 
greyhounds, not only to spend the mornings very agreea- 
bly, but to keep our own and our friends' tables well sup- 
plied. 

I have mentioned, in a former chapter, that the little 
town of Biaritz stands upon the sea-shore, and that it was, at 
the period of which I now write, regarded as a sort of neu- 
tral ground by the French and English armies. Pa- 
troles from both did, indeed, occasionally reconnoitre it : 



184 

the French, in particular, seldom permitting a day to pass 
without a party of their light cavalry riding through it. 
Yet to visit Biaritz became now the favourite amusement 
amongst us, and the greater the risk run of being sabred or 
taken, the more eager were we to incur and to escape it. 
But there was a cause for this, good reader, and I will tell 
thee what it was. 

In peaceable times, Biaritz constituted, as we learned 
from its inhabitants, a fashionable watering-place to the 
wealthy people of Bayonne and its vicinity. It was, and 
no doubt is now, a remarkably pretty village, about as large, 
perhaps, as Sandgate, and built upon the very margin of 
the water. The town itself lies in a sort -of hollow, be- 
tween two green hills, which, towards the sea, end in bro- 
ken cliffs. Its houses were neatly white-washed ; and, 
above all, it was, and I trust still is, distinguished as the 
residence of two or three handsome females. These 
ladies had about them all the gaiety and liveliness of 
Frenchwomen, with a good deal of the sentimentality of 
our own fair countrywomen. To us they were particularly 
pleasant, professing, I know not how truly, to prefer our 
society to that of any persons besides ; and we, of course, 
were far too gallant to deny them that gratification, be- 
cause we risked our lives or our freedom at each visit. 
By no means. Two or three times in each week the fa- 
voured few mounted their horses, and took the road to 
Biaritz, from which, on more than one occasion, they with 
difficulty returned. 

With the circumstances of one of these escapes I may as 
well make my reader acquainted. We were, for the most 
part, prudent enough to cast lots previous to our setting 
out, in order to decide on whom, among the party, the 
ordinary task should devolve of watching outside, to pre- 
vent a surprisal by the enemy's cavalry, whilst his com- 



185 

panions were more agreeably employed within. So many 
visits had, however, been paid, without any alarm being 
given, that one morning, having quitted Bedart fewer in 
number than usual, we rashly determined to run all risks, 
rather than one of the three should spend an hour so cheer- 
lessly. The only precaution which we took was to piquet 
our horses, ready saddled and bridled, at the garden gate, 
instead of putting them up, as we were in the habit of 
doing, in the stable. 

It was well for us that even this slender precaution had 
been taken. We had sat about half an hour with our fair 
friends, and had just ceased to joke on the probability of 
our suffering the fate of Sampson, and being caught by the 
Philistines, when, on a pause in the conversation taking 
place, our ears were saluted with the sound of horses' hoofs 
trampling upon the paved street. We sprang to the win- 
dow, and our consternation may be guessed at, when we 
beheld eight or ten French hussars riding slowly from 
the lower end of the town. Whilst we were hesitating 
how to proceed, whether to remain quiet, with the hope 
that the party might retire without searching any of the 
houses, or expose ourselves to a certain pursuit by flying, 
we observed a rascal in the garb of a seaman run up to 
the leader of the patrole, and lay hold of his bridle, enter 
into conversation with him, and point to the abode of our 
new acquaintances. This was hint enough. Without 
pausing to say farewell to our fair friends, who screamed, 
as if they, and not we, had been in danger, we ran with all 
haste to the spot where our horses stood, and, springing 
into the saddle, applied the spur with very little mercy to 
their flanks. We were, none of us, particularly well 
mounted ; but either our pursuers had dismounted to 
search the house, or they took at first a wrong direction 
for we got so much the start of them before the chase fairlv 

16* 



186 

began, that we might have possibly escaped, had we been 
obliged to trust to our own steeds as far as the piquets. 
Of this, however, I am by no means certain, for they 
were unquestionably gaining upon us, as a sailor would 
say, hand over hand, when, by great good fortune, a pa- 
trole of our own cavalry made its appearance. Then, in- 
deed, the tables were completely turned. The enemy 
pulled up, paused for an instant, and then took to their 
heels, whilst our troopers, who had trotted forward as 
soon as they saw what was the matter, put their horses to 
the speed, and followed. Whether they overtook their 
adversaries, and what was the issue of the skirmish, if in- 
deed any skirmish took place, I cannot tell ; for though we 
made an attempt to revenge ourselves upon our late pur- 
suers, we soon found that we were distanced by both par- 
ties, and were, perforce, contented to ride quietly home, 
congratulating each other by the way on our hair-breadth 
deliverance. From that time forward we were more pru- 
dent. Our visits were, indeed, resumed, and with their 
usual frequency, but we took care not again to dispense 
with the watchfulness of one, who, on the contrary, took 
his station henceforth on the top of one of the heights, 
from which he commanded a view of the surrounding coun- 
try, to the distance of several miles. Though, therefore, 
we were more than once summoned to horse, because the 
enemy's dragoons were in sight, we generally contrived to 
mount in such time, as to preclude the necessity of ridings 
as we had before ridden, for life or liberty. 

By spending my mornings thus, or in a determined pur- 
suit of game, and my evenings in such society as a corps 
of gentlemanly young men furnished, nearly a fortnight 
passed over my head before I was aware that time could 
have made so much progress. It seldom happens, how- 
ever, that any period of human existence, whether exten- 



187 

sive or contracted, passes by without some circumstance 
occurring calculated to produce painful sensations. I re- 
collect, in the course of this fortnight, an event, which, 
though I was no farther concerned in it than as a spectator, 
made a deep and melancholy impression on my mind. I 
allude to the loss of a large vessel, during a tremendous 
storm, on the rocks which run out into the sea off Bedart. 
The precise day of the month on which this sad ship- 
wreck occurred, I have forgotten ; but I recollect being- 
sent for by my friend during the progress of one of the 
heaviest gales which we had witnessed, to come and watch 
with him the fate of a brig, which was in evident distress, 
about a couple of miles from the land. The wind blew a 
perfect hurricane on shore ; and hence the question was, 
would the ship succeed in weathering the cape, or would 
she strike 1 If she got once round the headland, then her 
course to the harbour of Secoa was direct ; if otherwise, 
nothing could save her. We turned our glasses towards 
her in a state of feverish anxiety, and beheld her bending 
under a single close-reefed top-sail, and making lee-way 
at a fearful rate, every moment. Presently a sort of at- 
tempt was made to luff up, or tack — it was a desperate one. 
Great God ! I cannot even now think without shuddering 
of the consequence. The sail, caught by a sudden squall, 
was shivered into an hundred shreds ; down, down she 
went, before the surge ; and in five seconds she struck 
against a reef; and in ten minutes more, split into a thou- 
sand fragments. One gun only was fired as a signal of dis- 
tress ; but who could regard it ? We possessed no boats ; 
and had the contrary been the case, this was a sea in which 
no boat could live. Powerless, therefore, of aid, we could 
only stand and gaze upon the wreck, till piece by piece it 
disappeared amid the raging of the waters. Not a soul 
survived to tell to what country she belonged, or with what 



188 

she was freighted ; and only one body was drifted to land. 
It was that of a female, apparently about thirty years of 
age, genteelly dressed, and rather elegantly formed ; to 
whom we gave such sepulture as soldiers can give, and 
such as they are themselves taught to expect. 

The impression which that shipwreck made upon me was 
not only far more distressing, but far more permanent, 
than the impression made by any other spectacle, of which, 
during the course of a somewhat eventful life, I have been 
the spectator. For several days I could think of hardly 
anything besides, and at night my dreams were constantly 
of drowning men, and vessels beating upon rocks ; so 
great is the effect of desuetude even in painful subjects, 
and so appalling is death, when he comes in a form in 
which we are unaccustomed to contemplate him. Of 
slaughtered men I have, of course, beheld multitudes, as 
well when life had just departed from them, as when cor- 
ruption had set its seal upon their forms ; but such sights 
never affected me, no, not even at the commencement of 
my military career, as I was affected by the loss of that 
ship, though she went to pieces at too great a distance 
from the beach to permit more than a very indistinct view 
of her perishing inmates. Yet there is nothing in reality 
more terrible in drowning than in any other kind of death ; 
and a sailor will look upon it, I dare say, with precisely the 
same degree of indifference which a soldier experiences, 
when he contemplates the prospect of his own dissolution 
by fire or steel. 

In the course of my narrative, I have not made any 
regular attempt to convey to the mind of the reader a dis- 
tinct notion of the peculiar costume and language which 
distinguish the natives of this country. Two motives have 
guided me in this. In the first place, it is, now-a-days, 
known to all who are likely to peruse what I write, that the 



189 

inhabitants of those provinces, which lie at the immediate 
base of the Pyrenees, are a race totally distinct, and es- 
sentially different in almost all respects, from either the 
Spaniards or the French. They speak a language of their 
own, namely Basque, which is said by those who profess 
to be acquainted with it, to resemble the Celtic more than 
any other known tongue. The dress of the men consists 
usually of a blue or brown jacket, of coarse woollen cloth ; 
of breeches or trowsers of the same, with a waistcoat, 
frequently of scarlet ; grey worsted stockings, and wooden 
shoes. On their heads they wear a large flat bonnet, pre- 
cisely similar to the Lowland bonnet, or scone, of Scot- 
land. They are generally tall, but thin ; and they present 
altogether an appearance as uncouth as need be fancied. 
The women, again, equip themselves in many respects as 
the fish-women of the good town of Newhaven are equip- 
ped, with this difference, that they seldom cover their heads 
at all, and, like the men, wear wooden clogs. They are a 
singular tribe, and appear to take a pride in those peculiari- 
ties, which keep them from coalescing with either of the 
nations among whom they dwell. But all this, as I said 
before, is too generally known, to render it imperative 
upon me minutely to repeat it. My second motive for 
keeping, in a great degree, silent on the head of manners 
and customs, is one, the efficiency of which the reader 
will not, I dare say, call in question ; namely, the want of 
opportunity to make myself sufficiently master of the sub- 
ject, to enter, con amore, upon it. No man who journeys 
through a country, in the train of an invading army, ought 
to pretend to an intimate acquaintance with the manners 
and customs of its inhabitants. Wherever foreign troops 
swarm, the aborigines necessarily appear in false colours. 
The greater part of them, indeed, abandon their homes, 
whilst such of them as remain are servile and submissive 



190 

through terror ; nor do they ever display their real charac- 
» ters, at least in the presence of a stranger. Hence it is ? 
that nine-tenths of my brethren in arms, who write at all, 
commit the most egregious blunders in those very portions 
of their books where they particularly aim at enlightening 
the reading public ; and that the most matter-of-fact tour, 
spun out by the most matter-of-fact man or woman, who 
has visited the seat of the late war since the cessation of 
hostilities, contains, and must contain, more certain in- 
formation touching the fire-side occupations of the people, 
than all the "Journals" or "Letters to Friends at Home," 
which this age of book-making has produced. Frankly 
confessing, therefore, that any account which I could give 
of the manners and habits of the Basques, would deserve 
as little respect as the accounts already given by other 
military tourists, I am content to keep my reader's at- 
tention riveted — if, indeed, that be practicable — upon my 
own little personal adventures, rather that amuse him with 
details, which might be true, as far as I know to the con- 
trary, but which, in all probability, would be false. 

Proceed we, then, in our own way. From the day of 
the shipwreck, up to the 23d of the month, I have no 
recollection of any occurrence worthy to be recorded. 
Advantage was taken, it is true, of that period of rest, to 
lay in a fresh stock of tea, and other luxuries, with the 
means of accomplishing which an opportune disbursement 
of one month's pay supplied us ; whilst an ample market 
was established by certain speculating traders, who follow- 
ed the progress of the army from post to post. Secoa 
was now the grand mart for the procurement of necessa- 
ries, a considerable fleet of English vessels having entered 
it ; and hither I and my comrades resorted for the purchase 
of such articles as habit, or caprice, prompted us to pur- 
chase. Then by coursing, shooting, and riding — some- 



191 

times to Biaritz, and the house of our pretty Frenchwo- 
men — sometimes to St. Jean de Luz, where, by the way, 
races were regularly established, and occasionally to the 
cantonments of a friend in another division of the army, 
we found our days steal insensibly, and therefore agreea- 
bly, away ; nor was it without a feeling somewhat akin to 
discontent that we saw ourselves again setting forth, to 
take our turn of out-post duty at the old station beside 
Fort Charlotte. 



CHAPTER XVm 

As the circumstances attending our present tour of duty 
had in them more of excitation than usual, I shall describe 
them at greater length. 

The air was cold and bracing ; it was a fine clear wintry 
day, when the corps to which I was attached, strengthened 
by the half of another battalion, began its march to the 
front. Instead of employing eighteen hundred men at the 
outposts, nine hundred were now esteemed capable of pro- 
viding for the safety of the left column of the army ; and 
such was accordingly the extent of the force, which, under 
the command of a lieutenant-colonel, took the direction of 
the mayor's house. On arriving there, we found matters 
in a somewhat different order from that in which we were 
wont to find them. The enemy, it appeared, had aban- 
doned the ground, which, up to the preceding night, their 
piquets had occupied. Our advanced parties were, in 
consequence, pushed forward, and the stations of the ex- 
treme sentinels were now in front of that ground, upon 
which so much fighting had taken place in the beginning 
of last month. The guards themselves, instead of being 
hutted in and about the chateau, were disposed among a 
range of cottages, in the very centre of the field of battle : 
and the objects which were by this means kept constantly 
before their eyes, were certainly not of the most cheering 
or encouraging description. 

It fell not to my lot to take charge of a piquet guard on 
the immediate day of our advance. My business, on the 
contrary, was to superintend the erection of works, which 
appeared to me to be erected, as much for the purpose of 



193 

giving the soldiers employment, and keeping their blood 
in circulation, as to oppose an obstacle to the troops of 
Marshal Soult, from whom no serious attack was now 
apprehended. On the following morning, however, I led 
my party to the front ; nor have I frequently spent twenty- 
four hours in a state of higher excitement than I expe- 
rienced during the progress of those which succeeded the 
movement. 

In the first place, the weather had changed greatly for 
the worse. The frost continued, indeed, as intense, per- 
haps it was more intense than ever ; but the snow came 
down in huge flakes, which a cold north-east wind drove 
into our faces. The hut into which jthe main body of the 
guard was ushered, presented the same ruinous appear- 
ance with almost every other house similarly situated ; it 
furnished no shelter against the blast, and very little 
against the shower. Intelligence had, moreover, been 
conveyed to us by a deserter, that Soult, irritated at the 
surprisal of his post upon the Nive, had issued orders to 
retalliate whenever an opportunity might occur ; and it 
was more than hinted, that one object of the late retro- 
gression from our front was to draw us beyond our regu- 
lar line, and so place us in an exposed situation. The 
utmost caution and circumspection were accordingly en- 
joined, as the only means of frustrating his designs ; and 
of these the necessity naturally increased as day-light de- 
parted. 

That I might not be taken by surprise, in case any at- 
tack was made upon me after dark, I devoted a good pro- 
portion of the day to a minute examination of the country 
in front, and on each flank of my post. For this purpose 
I strolled over the fields, and found them literally strewed 
with the decaying bodies of what had once been soldiers. 
The enemy, it was evident, had not taken the trouble to 

17 



194 

bury even their own dead ; for of the carcases around rile, 
as many, indeed more, were arrayed in French than in En- 
glish uniforms. No doubt they had furnished food for the 
wolves, kites, and wild-dogs from the thickets ; for the 
flesh of most of them was torn, and the eyes of almost all 
were dug out ; yet there was one body, the body of a 
French soldier, quite untouched ; and how it chanced to 
be so, the reader may judge for himself, as soon as he 
has perused the following little story, for the truth of which 
I solemnly pledge myself. 

About the middle of the line covered by my chain of 
sentries, was a small straggling village, containing a single 
street, about twenty cottages, and as many gardens. In 
the street of that village lay about half a dozen carcases, 
more than half devoured by birds and beasts of prey ; 
whilst in several of the gardens were other little clusters 
similarly circumstanced. At the bottom of one of these 
gardens a Frenchman lay upon his face, perfectly entire, 
and close beside the body sat a dog. The poor brute, 
seeing us approach, began to howl in a very melancholy 
manner, at the same time resisting every effort, not on my 
part only, but on the part of another officer who accompa- 
nied me, to draw him from the spot. We succeeded, in- 
deed, in coaxing him as far as the upper part of the gar- 
den ; for, though large and lank, he was quite gentle ; but 
he left us there, returned to tyis post beside the body, and, 
lifting up his nose into the air, howled piteously. There 
are few things in my life that I regret more than not hav- 
ing secured that dog ; for it cannot, I think, be doubted, 
that he was watching beside his dead master ; and that he 
defended him from the teeth and talons which made a prey 
of all around him. But I had, at the time, other thoughts 
in my mind ; and circumstances prevented my paying a 
second visit to the place where 1 found him. 



195 

Among other happy results, the more forward position 
in which the piquets were now placed, furnished me with 
an opportunity of obtaining a less imperfect view of the 
city and defences of Bayonne, than any which I had yet 
obtained; I say less imperfect, for even from the tops of 
the houses in the village above referred to, no very accu- 
rate survey could be taken of a place situated upon a san- 
dy flat, and still five or six miles distant ; but I saw enough 
to confirm me in the idea which I had already formed, that 
the moment of attack upon these entrenchments, come 
when it might, could not fail to be a bloody one. 

Day-light was by this time rapidly departing, and it be- 
came incumbent upon me to contract the chain of my vi- 
dettes, and to establish my party a little in the rear of the 
cottage where we had been hitherto stationed. By acting 
thus, I contrived to render myself as secure as a detach- 
ment numerically so small can ever hope to be. There 
were two lakes, or rather large ponds, in the line of my 
position, one on the left of the main road, and the other on 
the right ; indeed, it was near the opposite extremity of the 
last-mentioned lake, that we unexpectedly found ourselves 
exposed to a charge of cavalr /, during the late battle. Of 
these lakes I gladly took advantage. Planting my people 
in a large house, about one hundred yards in rear, I formed 
my sentinels into a curved line, causing the extremities to 
rest, each upon its own pond, and pushing forward the cen- 
tre, in the shape of a bow. " Now then," thought I, 
" everything must depend upon the vigilance of the watch- 
men ;" and to render that as perfect as possible, I resolved 
to spend the entire night in passing from the one the other. 
Nor did I break that resolution. I may safely say, that I 
sat not down for five minutes at a time, from sun-set on the 
:24th till sun-rise on the 25th. 

The snow, which during an hour or two in the afternoon 



196 

had ceased, began again to fall in increased quantities 
after dark. The wind, too, grew more and more boiste- 
rous every moment ; it roared in the woods, and whistled 
fearfully through the ruined houses ; whilst at every pause 
I could distinctly hear the wolf's long howl, and the growl 
and short bark of the wild-dogs, as they quarrelled over 
the mangled carcases scattered round me. Near the mar- 
gin of the right-hand lake, in particular, this horrible din 
was constantly audible. There lay there, apart from each 
other, about ten bodies, of whom seven wore the frag- 
ments of an English uniform, and on these a whole troop 
of animals from the thickets beyond gorged themselves. 
Close beside one of these bodies I had been under the ne- 
cessity of planting a sentinel ; and the weakness of my 
party would not permit me to allow him a companion. He 
was rather a young man, and had selected the post for 
himself, in order to prove his contempt of superstition ; bu 
he bitterly lamented his temerity, as the situation in which 
I found him showed. 

I visited his post about half an hour after he had assu- 
med it, that is to say, a little before midnight. He w as 
neither standing nor sitting, but leaning against a tree, and 
was fairly covered with a coat of frozen snow. His fire- 
lock had dropped from Ins hand, and lay across the chest 
of the dead man, beside whom he had chosen to place him- 
self. When I spoke to the fellow, and desired to know 
why he had not challenged as I approached, he made no 
answer ; and, on examining more closely, I found that he 
was in a swoon. Of course, I despatched my orderly for 
a relief, and kept watch myself till he returned ; when, 
with the assistance of my comrades, I first dragged the 
dead body to the lake, into which it was thrown, and then 
removed the insensible but living man to the piquet-house. 
There several minutes were spent in chafing and rubbing 



197 

him before he opened his eyes ; but being at length re- 
stored to the use of speech, he gave the following account 
of his adventure. 

He said that the corporal had hardly quitted him, when 
his ears were assailed by the most dreadful sounds, such as 
he was very certain no earthly creature could produce. That 
he saw through the gloom a whole troop of devils dancing 
beside the water's edge, and a creature in white came creep- 
ing towards his post, groaning heavily all the way. He 
endeavoured to call out to it, but the words stuck in his 
throat, nor could he utter so much as a cry. Just then he 
swore that the dead man sat up, and stared him in the face ; 
after which he had no recollection of anjfr thing, till he 
found himself in the piquet-house. I have no reason to 
suspect that man of cowardice ; neither, as my reader will 
easily believe, did I treat his story with any other notice 
than a hearty laugh ; but in the absolute truth of it he uni- 
formly persisted, and, if he be alive, persists, I dare say, to 
this hour. 

^Besides this adventure with my fool-hardy, and at the 
same time superstitious follower, nothing occurred during 
the entire night calculated to stir up any extraordinary sen- 
sation in my own mind, or deserving of particular notice at 
the distance of nearly twelve years. As I have already 
mentioned, I took care to visit the sentinels so frequently, 
that every danger of surprisal was effectually averted. 
That these constant perambulations would have been un- 
dertaken as a matter of choice I by no means pretend to 
say ; for it was a night of storm and of intense cold : but 
I felt my situation to be a critical one, and, feeling so, I 
should have been less at ease by the side of a comfortable 
fire than I was whilst forcing my way against the wind and 
snow. Nor had I any reason to find fault with the conduct 
of in v men. They had been warned of their danger in 

17* 



198 

good time, and were now thoroughly on the alert to avert 
it ; and thence I found each sentry more watchful than his 
neighbour— in other words, one and all of them completely 
on the qui vive. 

I recollect, indeed, on one occasion, being put a little 
upon my mettle. It was about two in the morning, when 
I was informed by a soldier, who kept watch at the ex- 
tremity of the hamlet already described, that he had heard 
within the last ten minutes a more than usual noise, in a 
large house about a hundred and fifty yards in front of his 
post. He described it to me as if people were tearing up 
the boards, or thumping down heavy weights upon the 
floor ; and he*hhnself seemed to think, that a body of the 
enemy's infantry had newly arrived, and had established 
themselves within the building. I listened attentively, in 
order to catch any sound which might proceed from that 
quarter, but none reached me. He persisted, however, in 
his story, and added, that if the noise which he had heard 
proceeded not from men, it must come from spirits. " And 
why not from dogs or wolves 1" said I. " Because dogs 
and wolves cannot split wood," said he ; " and I will swear, 
that if ever I heard planks torn asunder, I heard it now." 
Being little inclined to leave the matter in doubt, I remain- 
ed with the sentinel, and dispatched my orderly to bring 
up half a dozen men for the purpose of making a recogni- 
zance. 

The reader has probably anticipated that I found the 
house empty. It was so : for after stealing through the 
street with the utmost caution, stopping every two minutes, 
and applying my ear to the ground in order to catch the 
slightest noise, — after peeping over the garden-wall, lis- 
tening at the entrance, and creeping up the front steps with 
the pace of a burglar, — I found that the chateau was whol- 
ly tenantless ; and what was more, that not a trace of its 



199 

having been recently visited, at least by human tenants, 
could be discovered. Nevertheless, I commended the 
soldier for his watchfulness, advised him to continue equal- 
ly watchful as long as he should remain on duty ; and 
leaving it to himself to decide whether the sounds which 
he had reported proceeded from ghosts or more tangible 
creatures, I quitted him. 

It may not be amiss if I state here, what I have already 
more than hinted, that on all these occasions I was accom- 
panied by a little spaniel bitch. I had brought the creature 
with me from England, when she was a puppy of only 
nine months old, and she became attached to me in a de- 
gree such as would not, in all probability, have been the 
case, had my mode of life been more settled, and she in 
consequence less my companion. Nor was it only be- 
cause I was fond of the animal that I taught her to follow 
my fortunes thus closely. A well-trained dog is no bad 
help-mate to an officer who has charge of an outpost ; in- 
deed, I was never greatly alarmed, notwithstanding the 
communications of my videttes, unless my little four-foot- 
ed patrole confirmed their statements. If she barked or 
growled, then I felt assured that something dangerous was 
near ; if she continued quiet, I was comparatively easy. 
To that dog, indeed, I owe my life ; but the circumstance 
under which she preserved it occurred in a different quar- 
ter of the world, and has no right to be introduced into mv 
present narrative. 

In this manner was the night of the 24th of January 
spent. About an hour before day-break on the 25th, I 
mustered my piquet, according to custom, and kept them 
standing under arms, in front of the house, till dawn ap- 
peared. This measure was necessary, not only because 
it is a standing order in the British army for advanced 
corps to get under arms.thus early, but because experience 



200 

kas proved that the first of the morning is the favourite mo- 
ment of attack, inasmuch as, by commencing hostilities at 
that young hour of the day, good hopes are held out of 
effecting something decisive before the day shall have end- 
ed. On the present occasion, however, no attack was 
made ; and hence, after waiting the usual time, I prepared 
again to shift my ground, and to take post at the more ad- 
vanced station which I held yesterday, and which I had 
evacuated solely for the purpose of making myself less in- 
secure during the hours of darkness. 

We had returned to our day-light position about a quar- 
ter of an hour, when a patrole of light cavalry arrived, and 
proposed to plant a vidette upon the top of an eminence, 
about a mile in our front. The person who commanded 
the party appeared, however, to be a little in doubt as to the 
practicability of performing the orders which he had re- 
ceived. He said, that the enemy were not willing to al- 
low that height to be occupied by us ; that the last relief 
which had attempted to establish itself there, was driven 
off, and that he was not without apprehension of an ambus- 
cade, and of beingtaken, with his whole party. In a word, 
lie begged that I would allow a portion of my men to fol- 
low him, and that I would support him in case he should be 
attacked, either by infantry er cavalry. 

To say the truth, I was a great deal puzzled how to act, 
for nothing had been communicated to me on the subject ; 
nevertheless, I determined to lend as much assistance as I 
could spare, and accordingly commanded about a dozen 
men to follow the dragoons. Not deeming it right, how- 
ever, to intrust a detachment of my own people entirely to 
the charge of a stranger, I resolved to accompany them, 
and, perhaps, it was well I did. 

We were yet a half musket-shot from the hill which the 
cavalry were desired to occupy, when we observed a supe- 



201 

nor force of French dragoons advancing from the lines to- 
wards the same point. The push now was for the high 
ground. We foot-soldiers could not, of course, keep pace 
with our mounted comrades, but we followed them at dou- 
ble quick time, and arrived at the base just as they had 
crowned the height. They were hardly there, however, 
when a discordant shout, or rather yell, told us, that \he 
French were ascending by the opposite side. Our dra- 
goons, I observed, instantly formed line ; they discharged 
their pistols, and made a show of charging ; but whether it 
was that the enemy's numbers overawed them, or that their 
horses took fright at the report, I cannot tell, but before the 
caps of their opponents were visible to our eyes, their order 
was lost, and themselves in full retreat. Down they came, 
both parties, at full speed ; and now it was our turn to act. 
I had already placed my men behind a turf fence, with 
strict orders not to fire till I should command them. It 
was in vain that I stood upon the top of the wall, and shout- 
ed and waved to the fugitives to take a direction to the 
right or left. They rode directly towards the ditch, as if 
their object had been to trample us under foot ; and, what 
was still more alarming, the enemy were close behind 
them. In self-defence, I was therefore obliged to give the 
pre-concerted signal. My people fired, — one of our own, 
and three of the French dragoons dropped. The latter, 
apparently astonished at the unlooked-for discharge, pul- 
led up. " Now, now," cried we, " charge, charge, and 
redeem your honour." The dragoons did so, and we 
rising at the same instant with loud shouts, the enemy 
were completely routed. Two of their troopers were 
taken, and of all who escaped hardly one escaped without 
a wound. 

After this trifling skirmish the French no longer disputed 
with us the possession of the hill. Leaving the cavalry, 



202 

therefore, to maintain it, I fell back with my men to Al pi- 
quet-house, and about an hour after my return, was by no 
means displeased to find another party arrive to relieve us. 
Having given to the officer in command of that party a* 
much information as I myself possessed, I called in my 
sentries and marched to the rear. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

From the 26th of January up to the 20th of the follow- 
ing month, nothing occurred either to myself individually, 
or to the portion of the army of which I was a member, 
particularly deserving of notice. During that interval, in- 
deed, a fresh supply of wearing apparel, of flannels, stock- 
ings, and shoes, reached me, being a present from kind 
friends at home ; and seldom has any present proved more 
acceptable, or arrived more opportunely ; but the reader is 
not, I dare say, over anxious to know whether the articles 
in question were too large, too small, or whether they fit- 
ted to an hair's-breadth. Neither would it greatly amuse 
him were I to detail at length how ships freighted with corn 
reached Secoa ; how fatigue parties were ordered out to 
unload them ; and how the loads, being justly divided, were 
issued as forage for the horses, which stood much in need 
of it. It may, however, be worth while to state, that pre- 
vious to the arrival of these corn ships, even the cavalry 
and artillery were under the necessity of feeding their hor- 
ses chiefly upon chopped furze, and hence, that disease had 
begun to make rapid progress among them, many dying 
almost every day, and all, even the most healthy, falling 
rapidly out of condition. But for this providential supply 
of wholesome oats and barley, I question whether we should 
have been able to take the field, at least effectively, till 
later in the season. 

On the 16th of February, 18M, the allied troops may be 
said to have fairly broken up from their winter quarters. 
The corps to which I belonged continued, indeed, under 
cover till the morning of the 21st; but we were already, 



204 

in a great measure, at our posts ; seeing that our canton- 
ments lay immediately in rear of the piquets. Such divi- 
sions as had been quartered in and about St. Jean de Luz 
began, however, to move towards the front on the 16th, 
and pitching their tents on the crest of the position, they 
waited quietly till their leader should see fit to command a 
farther advance. On these occasions, no part of the spec- 
tacle is more imposing than the march of the artillery. Of 
this species of force, six, sometimes eight pieces, form a 
brigade, each gun is dragged by six or eight horses ; by 
six, if the brigade be intended to act with infantry ; by 
eight, if it belong to what is called the flying artillery. In 
the former case, eight gunners march on foot beside each 
field-piece, whilst three drivers ride a la postilion ; in the 
latter, the gunners are all mounted and accoutred like yeo- 
manry cavalry. Then the tumbrils and ammunition-wag- 
gons, with their train of horses and attendants, follow in 
rear of the guns, and the whole procession covers perhaps 
as much ground as is covered by two moderately strong 
battalions in marching order. 

The greater part of the infantry attached to the left co- 
lumn had passed, when brigade after brigade of guns wound 
through our village. These halting, just after they had 
cleared the street, diverging into some open fields on the 
right and left of the road, where the whole park, amounting 
to perhaps thirty pieces, was established. In another 
green field at the opposite side of Bidart, four heavy-eigh- 
teen pounders took their station, to be in readiness, in case 
of need, to be transported to Fort Charlotte. Last of all 
came the cavalry, consisting of the 12th and 16th light dra- 
goons, and of two regiments of heavy Germans ; nor could 
we avoid remarking, that though the 12th and 16th dra- 
goons are both of them distinguished corps, the horses of 
the foreigners were, nevertheless, in far better order than 



205 

those of our countrymen. The fact, I believe, is, that an 
Englishman, greatly as he piques himself on his skill in 
farriery, never acquires that attachment for his horse which 
a German trooper experiences. The latter dreams not, 
under any circumstances, of attending to his own comfort 
till after he has provided for the comfort of his steed. He 
will frequently sleep beside it, through choice, and the no- 
ble animal seldom fails to return the affection of his mas- 
ter, whose voice he knows, and whom he will generally 
follow like a dog. 

There was another striking difference in the two brigades 
of cavalry, which I remarked. The English rode on, many 
of them silent ; some chatting of a thousand things ; others 
whistling or humming those tuneless airs in which the 
lower orders of our countrymen delight. The Germans, 
on the contrary, sang, and sang beautifully, a wild chorus 
— a hymn, as I afterwards learned, to the Virgin — different 
persons taking different parts, and producing altogether the 
most exquisite harmony. So great an impression did this 
music make upon me, that I caught the air, and would note 
it down for the benefit of my reader, were I sufficiently 
master of the art of notation ; but as this happens not to be 
the case, he must wait till we become personally acquaint- 
ed, when I promise to play it for him, in my very best 
style, upon the flute. 

Nor was it only on the left that warlike movements oc- 
curred. The whole army took the field ; and that a seri- 
ous campaign was already commenced, the sound of firing 
at the extreme end of the line gave notice. I had wander- 
ed abroad with my gun on the morning of the 18th, not in- 
deed venturing to proceed far from home, but trying the 
neighbouring copses for a hare or woodcock, when my far- 
ther progress was arrested by the report of several cannons 
in the direction of Lord Hill's division. These were suc- 

18 



206 

ceeded by a rapid but short discharge of musketry, and my 
sport was immediately abandoned ; but I found, on my re- 
turn, that no alarm was excited, and that every description 
of force which I had left in a state of inaction continued 
still inactive. 

The same degree of suspense prevailed amongst us du- 
ring the 19th and 20th. On the latter of these days my 
mind, at least, was kept employed by a journey to the har- 
bour, for the purpose of bringing up a fresh supply of corn 
for the horses ; though it was a species of employment with 
which 1 would have readily dispensed, inasmuch as the day 
chanced to be particularly cold, with snow. But our anx- 
iety was destined not to be of long continuance ; an order 
reaching us that night, at a late hour, to be accoutred and 
in line of march by three o'clock in the following morning. 
Now, then, at length, we applied ourselves to the task of 
packing the baggage. The tents were once more sum- 
moned into use ; their condition closely examined ; such 
rents as appeared in the canvass were hastily repaired, and 
every deficiency in pegs and strings made good. Then 
the ordinary supply of provend, as Major Dalgetty would 
call it, being put up, we threw ourselves down in our 
clothing, and fell asleep. 

It was still dark as pitch, when the well-known sound of 
troops hurrying to their stations, roused me from my 
slumber. As I had little to do in the way of accoutring, 
except to buckle on my sabre, and to stick my pistols in a 
black leathern haversack, which, on such occasions, usu- 
ally hung at my back, abundance of time was given for the 
consumption of as much of breakfast as at that early hour 
I felt disposed to consume ; after which I took post be- 
tween my men. The reader will have doubtless noted, 
that, like the good soldier already named, I never set out 
upon any military expedition, without having, in the first 



207 

place, laid in a foundation of stamina to work upon. And 
here I would recommend to all young warriors, who may 
be gathering laurels when nothing of me shall remain, ex- 
cept these Memoirs, happily preserved from oblivion by 
being recorded in the i mmortal pages of Maga, invariably 
to follow my example. They may rely upon it, that an 
empty stomach, so far from being a provocative, is a seri- 
ous antidote to valour ; and that a man who has eaten 
nothing previous to either an advance or a retreat, runs no 
little risk of finding his strength fail at the very moment 
when its continuance is of vital importance to him. No, 
no, your hot-brained youth who is too impatient to eat, is 
like your over-anxious hunter, which refuses its corn be- « 
cause the hounds pass the stable. Neither the one nor 
the other will go through a hard day's work. 

The troops being formed in marching order, the word 
was given, and we advanced in the direction, now so fami- 
liar to us, of the Mayor's house. As we passed the park 
of artillery, we heard rather than saw the drivers limbering 
up, and preparations busily making for service. The tramp 
of many feet, too, could be discerned, as well as the clat- 
tering of horses' hoofs, the jingling of steel scabbards, and 
the rattle of canteens and cartouch-boxes ; but it was not 
till these various sounds had become faint and distant that 
day-light began to break upon us. We had, however, 
been conscious of having struck into a sort of by-lane, and 
of having proceeded for some time in a direction towards 
the right ; and hence, when objects became visible, we 
were not surprised to find that we had passed even the 
village of Arcanques ; and that all the country hitherto 
traversed by us, was left behind. As may be guessed, 
this circumstance alone excited pleasurable feelings ; for 
we were weary of the eternal Mayor's house and Fort 
Charlotte, and anxious to reach some other field on which 
to prove our courage. 



208 

The point towards which our steps were turned, was a 
lofty eminence, distant about a quarter of a mile from the 
banks of the Nive, and commanding an extensive view of 
a country extremely beautiful. The height had been oc- 
cupied during the preceding day by a part of the 5th divi- 
sion, which now resigned the charge to us, and descending 
into the plain, crossed the river, and pushed off in a direc- 
tion to the right. For ourselves, we were commanded to 
halt here ; and as neither the tents nor baggage had arrived 
— as indeed we soon learned that they were not to follow — 
we sedulously set about lighting fires, and prepared to 
bivouack. These were, however, as yet early days for 
bivouacking ; and hence arrangements were made for get- 
ting us under cover during the night ; in accordance with 
which, we descended soon after sun-set to a large chateau, 
close beside the advanced sentries, where ample accom- 
modation was found for all of us. There the night was 
passed, not altogether free from apprehension, seeing that 
no piquets — only a chain of sentinels, were between us 
and the enemy — but as everything remained quiet, without 
any attempt being made to molest us; no evil consequences 
resulted from the adoption of a plan, agreeable enough, 
it is true, but savouring perhaps of rashness, rather than 
excess of caution. 

As soon as the morrow's early parade was dismissed, 
and I perceived that no indication was given of further 
movements, I took my gun, and set off to the woods, 
where I hoped to find game enough to furnish out a com- 
fortable repast in the evening. Nor was I disappointed. 
Hares and woodcocks abounded here ; there were moreo- 
ver numerous flocks of golden plover ; and of these I 
contrived to bring home a sufficient number to satisfy m\ 
own wants, and the wants of others. But it was not alone 
because I chanced to be particularly successful in shooting. 



209 

that the day's excursion gave me pleasure. The country 
around was more romantic and striking than any which I 
had yet seen, and came nearer to a realization of my pre- 
vious notions respecting the scenery in the south of France, 
of what it really was, or rather of what it ought to be. All 
was hill and dale, sweeping groves and green meadows, 
with here and there a vineyard, already beginning to give 
signs of vegetation, and to put forth its delicate fibres, 
like our hop plant in the month of May. The proximity of 
the Nive, too, added not a little to the beauty of the pros- 
pect, as it flowed gently and quietly on, winding for a while 
between sloping grass-fields, and then eluding the eye amid 
the thick groves which overhung its banks. It would have 
been altogether as sweet and pastoral a landscape as the 
imagination can very well picture, but for the remote view 
of the entrenched camp, which from various points might 
be obtained, and the nearer glimpse of numerous watch- 
fires, round which groups of armed men were swarming. 
To me, however, these were precisely the most interesting 
objects in the panorama, and those upon which I chiefly 
delighted to fix my attention. 

The game which the sporting members of the corps 
contrived this day to pick up was so abundant, that we re- 
solved to admit the whole of our brother officers to a par- 
ticipation in it, and to spend an evening together, after the 
fashion of an evening at home. For this purpose, all the 
culinary utensils within reach were put in requisition, and 
all the individuals skilled in the gastronomic art were in- 
vited to give proof of their abilities. Beef — lean beef — 
that everlasting and insipid food of soldiers — was disguised 
in every imaginable form, whilst hares were melted down 
into soup, woodcocks stewed, golden plovers roasted, and 
sundry rabbits curried. In a word, we sat down, in num- 
ber about five-and-twenty, at six o'clock, to a dinner which 

18* 



210 

would have done no discredit, in point of cookery, to the 
favourite disciple of Dr. Kitchener, and which even Sir 
William Curtis himself would not have deemed unworthy 
of his notice. Good cheer, moreover, is generally the 
parent of good humour, and good humour is the source of 
benevolence ; nor would it be easy to point out in this self- 
ish world of ours, five-and-twenty persons whose hearts 
overflow more richly with the milk of human kindness, 
than did ours, as we took our seats by the well-filled board. 
Fervently did we wish that every corps in the British army, 
ay, and in the French army too, could that day fare as well ; 
whilst we proceeded to prove, in the most satisfactory of 
all manners, that delicate viands were not thrown away, at 
least upon us. 

These praise-worthy expressions had hardly ceased, and 
we had just begun to pay our addresses to the well-boiled 
soup, when the tread of horses' hoofs attracted our notice. 
It would have been a positive sin had the enemy come on 
at such a moment as this ; and I verily believe, that we in 
our wrath would have given him no quarter. Neverthe- 
less, sins are daily committed ; nor were we by any means 
at ease, touching this important matter, till the cause of the 
alarm appeared. It was a wounded officer who had been 
shot in a skirmish this morning, and was now slowly tra- 
velling to the rear, being with difficulty held on his horse by 
a couple of attendants. Our dinner was instantly aban- 
doned, and we all ran to offer such assistance as it lay in 
our power to offer. But the poor fellow was too seriously 
hurt to accept of our invitations to eat. The surgeon ac- 
cordingly took him in charge, and having amputated the 
arm which one* ball had broken, and striven in vain to ex- 
tract another from his side, he left him to the care of his 
servant. The man was dead before morning. 

It is impossible to describe the chilling effect of this ad- 



211 

venture upon all of us. Steeled, as men necessarily be- 
come, in a continued state of warfare, against the milder 
and more gentle feelings of our nature, they must be 
hardened, indeed, if they can behold a dying fellow-crea- 
ture arrive among them, in an hour of jollity and mirth, 
without viewing the contrast in so strong a light as to damp, 
if it be unable utterly to destroy, their own hilarity. For 
our own parts, we returned, indeed, to table, and we chat- 
ted, or rather endeavoured to chat, as if no such guest had 
come amongst us. But it would not do. Our party, 
which we had designed to keep together till dawn, broke 
up soon after ten o'clock, and we lay down to sleep with 
minds more full of our suffering brother-in-arms, than of 
our own joviality. 

The wounded officer belonged to a regiment of the fifth 
division. He had acted, with a small party, as one of the 
flank patrol, during an oblique movement of his brigade, 
along the front of the enemy's line, and falling in with a 
body of their skirmishers, had been wounded in a wood, 
where the rapid advance of the column left him. His ser- 
vant and another man, having procured a horse from one of 
his friends, returned to his assistance. But before they could 
discover him the division was too far on its way to be over- 
taken, consequently they took with him a direction to the 
rear, which brought them to our house. He had received 
his wounds at an early hour in the day, and had been pre- 
served from bleeding to death only by the cold ; but the 
long period which elapsed ere his hurts could be dressed, 
rendered them doubly severe. Our surgeon, indeed, as- 
sured us, that no care, however speedily bestowed, could 
have saved him ; and therefore it was perhaps as well that 
the absence of medical assistance shortened his misery, 
by protecting him from the torture necessarily attendant 
upon useless dressings. 



112 

We had just begun to drop into a forgetfulness of all 
causes, both of joy and sorrow, when a dragoon arrived 
with orders for the commanding officer, by which it appear- 
ed that we were to be under arms at three o'clock next 
morning, and to follow where the bearer — a soldier of the 
corps of guides — should lead. Something, too, was whis- 
pered about a general attack upon the enemy's lines ; of 
passing the Adour, and investing Bayonne ; but these 
were mere surmises, naturally following upon such vague 
directions. For myself, I permitted them not to occupy 
much of my attention, or to keep their places long in my 
mind ; but philosophically concluding that I had no choice 
submitted to me, and that I must go wherever I should be 
sent, and act exactly as I should be desired to act, I once 
more threw myself on the floor, and closed my eyes. 
Sleep was not long a stranger to my eye-lids. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Of the appearance of the country through which we 
marched, on the morning of the 23d of February, I can 
say but little, the greater part of the journey having been 
performed in the dark. When day dawned, however, we 
perceived that we had been defiling by a new road towards 
the left ; and at eight o'clock we found ourselves in a green 
field, about a musket-shot from the high road, and within 
three miles of the works in front of Bayonne. At the 
other end of the field was a piquet of the enemy, which 
instantly turned out, and lined the ditches, whilst we con- 
tented ourselves with forming into column ; and then piling 
our arms, we stood still till farther instructions should 
arrive. In the meanwhile, I was not unemployed. By 
the help of my telescope I took as accurate a survey of 
the stupendous fortifications before me as circumstances 
would permit, and the following is, as nearly as I recollect, 
the aspect which they presented : — 

The position which Marshal Soult had taken up, and 
which has long been justly regarded as one of the most 
formidable positions in the south of France, ran parallel, 
or nearly parallel, for about four miles, with the Adour. 
Its right rested upon the strong and extensive fortifications 
of Bayonne, its left upon the small river Joyeuse, and the 
formidable post of Hilletre. When I state this as being 
the position of Marshal Soult's army, I mean to say, that 
such was the line which that army occupied, previous to 
the renewal of hostilities on our part. Towards his right 
no change had, indeed, taken place ; but on his left he had 
been driven back, first from Hilletre upon St. Martin, and 



214 

then through St. Palais, as far as the village of Arrive- 
rente. From this again he was dislodged on the 17th by 
the 92d regiment, under the command of Colonel Came- 
ron ; till finally falling back from post to post, the strength 
of his forces became divided ; the entrenched camp near 
St. Jean Pied de Pont was abandoned, and Soult, after de- 
fending as long as they were defensible, his strongholds, 
principally at Hastingues and Oyergave, retired with his 
extreme left within the tete-du-pont at Payrchourade. 
When I glanced my eye, therefore, along the entrench- 
ments this morning, I was able to take in only so much of 
the formidable line as extended from the city to the hamlet 
of Villenueve, on the Gave d'Oleron ; and of the last 
mentioned of these places I obtained a view so indistinct, 
that had I not previously known that it formed one key of 
the position, I should not have been aware of its vast im- 
portance. 

It is not my design to attempt an accurate detail of the 
eventful operations of this and the following day. On the 
left of the centre, (the point where I chanced to be sta- 
tioned,) comparatively little fighting took place. We made, 
indeed, from time to time, demonstrations of attack, drove 
in a few piquets, and ever and anon sent out a body of 
skirmishers, just by way of keeping the attention of the 
enemy awake ; but it was on the right of our line that the 
most important proceedings^ took place. Lord Welling- 
ton's plan was to cut off the army of Soult entirely from 
Bayonne, and to draw him, if possible, from the works 
which he had thrown up; and in the execution of that 
plan, he was as successful as he generally proved to be in 
all his schemes. Whilst, therefore, we were thus amusing 
ourselves on the heights above Bayonne, Sir Rowland Hill, 
with the light, the second, and a Portuguese division, 
passed the Gave d'Oleron at Villenueve ; Sir Henry Clin* 



215 

ion crossed, at the head of the sixth division, between 
Montfort and Laas ; and Sir Thomas Picton, with his own 
favourite third division, threatened the bridge of Sauviterre, 
and obliged the enemy to blow it up. The effect of these 
numerous attacks was to break the line which Soult had 
formed, in no less than three points, and to oblige him to 
draw off the main body of his army from his entrenched 
camp, and to establish himself on the heights above 
Orthes. 

In the meanwhile, the first division, on the extreme left, 
was not inactive. It formed a part, and a prominent part, 
in this stupendous plan of operations, to take possession 
of both banks of the Adour, as well below as above the 
city ; and to place Bayonne in a state of blockade, at the 
very moment when the army which covered it should be 
driven from its position. To render that scheme effectual, 
it was necessary to push a detachment of infantry across 
the Adour on rafts, for the purpose of protecting the forma- 
tion of a bridge, which Lord Wellington had resolved to 
erect. This was effected at a part three miles from the 
sea, where the river is full eight hundred yards wide ; and 
so little was the movement anticipated, that six hundred 
men, under the command of Major-General Stopford, 
were actually ferried over before the enemy exhibited any 
symptom of alarm or of consciousness that an attempt of 
the kind had been made. 

The bridge itself was destined to be composed of small 
vessels, decked boats, and chasse marees, placed at the 
distance of twenty or thirty yards from one another, and 
connected by strong cables and deals laid transversely 
across. The vessels had, indeed, been collecting in the 
harbour of Secoa during the last ten days ; and now only- 
waited for a favourable breeze to effect their entrance into 
the Adour. Nor is that an easy matter, even for a vessel 



216 

of forty or fifty tons burthen. At the mouth of the Adour 
is a bar or bank of sand, quite impassable at low water : 
winch, even at ordinary full tides, is so little covered, that 
nothing larger than a large fishing-boat can float. During 
the season of spring-tides, I believe ships of a considerable 
size may enter ; but nothing approximating to a ship can 
hope to cross at any other season. 

When the army broke up from winter quarters, it was 
not the season of spring-tide ; neither could military ope- 
rations be delayed till that season should arrive. It was 
accordingly determined by Rear-Admiral Penrose, who 
commanded the squadron cruising off the coast, to force 
his way up the stream at all hazard, as soon as a breeze 
should spring up ; and the command of the boats dedicated 
to this perilous service, was intrusted to a gallant officer 
from the sister isle, by name O'Reily. No man could be 
better cut out for such an enterprize. Brave, impetuous, 
perhaps somewhat rash, Captain O'Reily was not a little 
galled when he found his progress delayed, daring the 
whole of the 23d, by a dead calm ; but he was not there- 
fore useless. Perceiving that nothing could be done on 
his own element, he came to land, and was not a little ser- 
viceable in constructing the rafts, and putting the soldiers 
in proper order for crossing. 

It was about ten in the morning, when the posts which 
the enemy occupied in and near Anglette, as well as among 
the sand hills on the left banks of the Adour, being carried, 
General Stopford's little corps began to pass the river. To 
facilitate this operation, or rather to hinder the enemy from 
observing it at all, our brigade, which had hitherto remain- 
ed idle upon the brow of the identical rising ground, where, 
after the action of the 9th of the preceding November, we 
had halted, was directed to execute various manoeuvres. 
We first deployed into line, then, extended our files into 



217 

skirmishing order ; next threw out half a dozen companies, 
%vho rushed forward at double quick time, and with loud 
shouts, as if an assault were seriously intended. Nor 
were our movements unnoticed. In less than five minutes, 
several batteries and breast-works in our immediate front, 
which had previously remained almost empty of defenders, 
were crowded with soldiers, whilst three pieces of light 
artillery came galloping from the right, and took post in a 
field, across which our route, had we pursued it, must have 
lain. 

To meet the detached companies, a body of tirrallicurs 
advanced, and a very entertaining skirmish began. For 
myself, I was, during the entire day, in a place of perfect 
safety ; out of- reach even of the light cannon, which 
were turned against us ; and hence I had every opportuni- 
of observing, with an easy mind, the progress of those 
about me. Immediately on our left was a division of 
Spanish infantry, which occupying the village of Angle tte, 
kept up the communication between us and the guards. 
On our right again was a Portuguese corps ; and it is cu- 
rious enough, that whilst the French were satisfied with 
watching us, and of giving proof that they were determined 
to oppose any attack on our part, they made several spirited 
assaults upon our allies. By the Portuguese they were 
met with as much gallantly, and in as good order, as they 
would have been met by ourselves ; towards the close of 
the war, indeed, the Portuguese infantry were inferior to 
none in the world. From the Spaniards, on the contrary, 
they received no very determined opposition ; and but for 
the sight of our column on one side, and of a column of 
guards and of the German legion on the other, they would 
have made there, in all probability, a breach in the line. 
As it was, they contented themselves with driving the troops 
before them, ever and anon, from the village ; and then 

19 



218 

fell back, as soon as they found themselves in danger of 
being taken in flank, by us, or the Germans. 

It was a positive relief to avert my eyes from the opera- 
tions of the Spanish corps, and to turn them towards the 
Portuguese. The latter consisted of three battalions of 
cac,adores, and two of heavy infantry ; of which the caca- 
dores alone could, in strict propriety, be said to be engaged. 
Covering the front of the others, and communicating with 
our skirmishers, they spread themselves in extended order 
over the fields, and kept up a steady, cool, and well-direct- 
ed fire, upon the cloud of tirrallieurs which vainly endea- 
voured to drive them back upon the reserve. In looking at 
such a scene as this, you generally fix your eye upon one 
or two individuals, whose progress you watch so long, that 
you become at last as much interested in their safety, as if 
they were personal acquaintances of your own. I recol- 
lect that one Portuguese soldier, in particular, attracted 
my notice that day ; he seemed, if I might judge from his 
proceedings, to be animated with a more than ordinary de- 
gree of hatred towards the French ; that is to say, he look- 
ed neither to his right nor to his left — paid no attention 
either to the momentary retrogression or advance of his 
comrades ; but steadily kept his ground, or varied it only 
for the purpose of obtaining a better aim at his opponents. 
He had posted himself considerably in advance of his own 
line, behind a large furz-bush, or rather in the middle of a 
furz-bower, from which I saw him deliberately pick off 
three Frenchmen, one after another. At length he was 
noticed by the enemy, and six or seven of them turned to- 
wards his place of ambuscade. Nothing daunted, the 
Portuguese remained perfectly steady ; he crouched down, 
indeed, to load, but the moment his rifle was charged, he 
leant over the bush, and fired. One of his assailants fell ; 
whilst the rest, pointing their pieces to the spot from 



219 

w hence the smoke issued, gave him a volley ; but it was 
harmless ; he had darted to the other side of the bush, and 
every shot missed him. He knelt down and loaded again ; 
the enemy were now within twenty yards of him ; he fired, 
and an officer who accompanied them, walked off the 
field, grasping his left arm in his right hand. The rest of 
his adversaries, as if panic-struck, retreated ; and there he 
staid, till the close of the affair ; after which, he returned 
to his ranks, apparently unhurt. That man killed and 
wounded not fewer than eight French soldiers during the 
day. 

It was now drawing towards evening, when our atten- 
tion was powerfully, and somewhat painfully, attracted to 
the little corps which had crossed the Adour upon rafts, 
and now occupied a position among the sand hills on the 
opposite bank. Hitherto, they had been either unnoticed, 
or disregarded by the enemy. The only serious fighting 
indeed which had as yet taken place, on the extreme left 
of our line, was a sort of struggle, between a French 
frigate, assisted by two gun-boats, and a British battery of 
eighteen-pounders, well supplied with red-hot shot. The 
result of that struggle was, as may be anticipated, the 
complete destruction of the gun-boats, and the compulsory 
retreat of the ship ; but to the passing of our infantry, no 
regard seemed to have been paid — at least no endeavour 
was made to cut them off, or to hinder them from strength- 
ening their post. At length, however, the French general 
appeared to have discovered his error. A column of five 
thousand infantry, with several pieces of cannon, was ac- 
cordingly formed, and marched in firm array, to the attack 
of only six hundred soldiers of the British guards, sup- 
ported by a small detachment of rockets. 

The ground which General Stopford held, was, happily 
for him, extremely favourable. It was full of inequalities ; 



220 

each of which formed, as it were, a natural parapet, behind 
which troops could shelter themselves. Perceiving the 
approach of his assailants, the general formed his people 
to the best advantage in rear of one of the sand hills ; and" 
causing them to lie down, so as to be completely concealed, 
he waited patiently till the head of the attacking column 
had arrived within twenty yards of him. Then the word 
was given to start up ; and the rocket men throwing in 
their diabolical engines with extraordinary precision, at the 
very instant when the infantry fired a well-directed volley, 
the confusion created in the ranks of the enemy beggars 
all description. I saw and conversed with a French Ser- 
jeant who was taken in this affair. He assured me, that 
he had been personally engaged in twenty battles, and that 
he had never really known the sensation of fear till to-day. 
A rocket, it appeared, had passed through his knapsack 
without hurting him ; but such was the violence with which 
it flew, that he fell upon his face, and the horrible hissing 
sound produced by it was one which he declared that he 
never could forget. Nor is it the least appalling part of a 
rocket's progress, that you see it coming, and yet know 7 
not how to avoid it. It skips and starts about from place 
to place in so strange a manner, that the chances are, when 
you are running to the right or left to get out of the way, 
you run directly against it ; and hence the absolute rout, 
which a fire of ten or twelve rockets can create, provided 
they take effect. But it is a very uncertain weapon. It 
may, indeed, spread havock among the enemy, but it may 
also turn back upon the people who use it, causing, like the 
elephant of other days, the defeat of those whom it was 
designed to protect. On the present occasion, however, it 
proved materially serviceable, as every man can testify, 
who witnessed the result of the fire. 

Having thus briefly detailed the issue of the engagement. 



221 

itf may appear almost superfluous to state, how we were 
affected by the expectation of its occurrence. We knew 
well that a mere handful of our fellow-soldiers were una- 
voidably thrown into such a position, that, let their case be 
what it might, no succour could be afforded them. We 
saw by the dense and lengthened mass which was moving 
down, and by the guns and horses which accompanied it, 
that this little corps was about to sustain an assault from a 
force capable of overwhelming it by absolute bodily weight ; 
and feeling that we could render no other aid, than that 
which empty wishes supply, we cast no imputation upon 
the bravery of our comrades, when we trembled for their 
safety. All eyes were directed to the sand hills ; scarce a 
word was spoken by the spectators, and the greater num- 
ber absolutely held their breath, till the shock was given. 

The battery of eighteen pounders, of which I have al- 
ready spoken, failed not to salute the enemy's column as it 
passed. The range was a long one ; but our gunners 
were skilful, and it was consolatory to see, from the occa- 
sional checks and disorders in various parts of the advan- 
cing corps, that its salute was more than honorary. But 
what had become of our own people 1 — they had all dis- 
appeared ; and it seemed as if the French troops might 
march without molestation to the margin of the sea. The 
problem was speedily solved ; and the very first discharge, 
given as I have described above, decided the business. It 
was followed, as such a fire is generally followed in the Bri- 
tish service, by a charge with the bayonet, and we, who, but 
a moment before, had been breathless ■with apprehension, 
now shouted in triumph, as we beheld the mass, of late 
so formidable, scattered and put to flight by a single bat- 
talion. 

Darkness was by this time setting in so rapidly, that 
objects could no longer be discerned at any distance, and 

19* 



222 

hence, farther military operations were put a stop to on 
both sides. The French, by way, I presume, of wishing 
good night to their invaders, made one more spirited at- 
tack upon the Spanish and Portuguese posts, which they 
supported by a demonstration in our front, and by a dis- 
charge of cannon upon our skirmishers. Being as usual 
successful on one part, and defeated on the other, they 
called in their stragglers and fell back within their lines, 
leaving us to push forward our piquets, and to keep quiet 
possession of all the ground that we had gained. For our 
parts, having been informed, about an hour ago, that we 
should be required to march to the left, as soon as the 
night could screen the movement, we stood, or rather lay 
down, inactively, on the brow of the hill, where we had 
spent the day ; till a division of Spaniards coming up, — 
the same division which had so feebly defended the village 
of Anglette during the morning, — we resigned to them the 
care of a post abundantly defensible, and took the direc- 
tion of the sand hills, and the Adour. 

Whether it was the intention of Sir John Hope to car- 
ry us farther towards his left this night, I cannot tell ; 
but on arriving in rear of Anglette, we were by no means 
displeased at being told that we were destined to remain 
there until the morrow. The roads were all choked up 
with tumbrils, ammunition-waggons, baggage, and troops, 
filing to different points, apparently in not the best of or- 
der. Around the village, in particular, a vast bivouack, 
chiefly of Spanish infantry and muleteers, had been form- 
ed ; insomuch that it was not without some difficulty that 
we made our way into the street. Then the sounds which 
saluted us as we passed — the Babel- like confounding of all 
languages — the laugh, the cry, the oath, and here and 
there the low moan or wild shriek of the wounded, — form- 
ed altogether a species of concert which certainly gave no 



223 

evidence of strict discipline or accurate arrangement. It 
was, however, altogether a wild and a striking scene ; ami 
a sort of wavering and dull light which the fires of the 
bivouack shed over it added not a little to its sublimity. 

At length we reached the houses which were set apart 
for our accommodation, and truly they were far from being 
over commodious. About three hundred men were usher- 
ed into a cottage consisting of two apartments, or, as they 
say in the north, of " a but and a ben ;" and here, upon 
the earthen floor, we were fain to cast ourselves down, in 
order to obtain in sleep an escape from the cravings of 
hunger, which for several hours past had been somewhat 
nrgent. We had eaten nothing since three o'clock in the 
morning, nor had any supply of provisions arrived. The 
poor cottage was, as may be imagined, wholly unfurnish- 
ed with viands ; indeed we were as much surprised as 
pleased when the peasant to whom it belonged, and who 
had remained to keep possession, produced us a bottle of 
very bad brandy, called in the language of the country 
aquadent. This we divided among us as far as it would 
go ; and having wished in vain for the arrival of the quar- 
ter-master and commissary, we wrapped our cloaks about 
us and lav down. Sleep soon came to our relief. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The night of the 23d passed by in quiet, and long be- 
fore dawn on the 24th we stood, as usual, in our ranks and 
under arms. Thus passed about half an hour, when or- 
ders were given to form into marching order, and to file 
towards the left in the direction of the Adour. These 
orders were promptly obeyed ; and, after a journey of 
about a league, we found ourselves commanded to halt 
upon a sandy plain, at the distance of perhaps a couple of 
miles from the walls of Bayonne, and half that distance, or 
something less than half, from the outworks. Though 
thus placed within point-blank range of the enemy's ad- 
vanced batteries, we were nevertheless amply secured 
against their fire ; for a little sand-hill stood in our imme- 
diate front, of height sufficient to shut out not only the 
soldiers, but the tops of the tents, from the gaze of the 
besieged. 

Though we reached our ground at an early hour in the 
morning, a considerable space elapsed ere the baggage 
and provisions came up. The reader will therefore imagine 
that the setting forth of a substantial breakfast, which im- 
mediately ensued, proved a source of no trifling gratifica- 
tion to men who had fasted for upwards of forty hours, 
and whose appetite, though stifled by sleep, had revived 
of late in a very troublesome degree. It consisted, I well 
recollect, of slices of beef, hastily and imperfectly broiled, 
with mouldy buiscuit, and indifferent tea ; but the coarsest 
viands are sweet to the hungry, and we were in no humour 
to find fault with the quality of ours. 

Having finished our meal, we were by no means dis- 



225 

pleased to learn that, for the present at least, we werf 
doomed to be stationary. The camp was accordingly 
pitched in due form : sundry ruinous dwellings in its vicinity 
were taken possession of, chiefly as stables for the horses. 
Guns, fishing-rods, and grey-hounds, were desired to be 
in serviceable order ; and every disposition was made to 
secure comfort. The sole subject of complaint, indeed, 
was found to be in the unfavourable state of the weather, 
which had become since yesterday boisterous, with heavy 
showers of rain and hail ; but this very circumstance, at 
which we were disposed to murmur, chanced be of all others 
(he most favourable to the operations of the army. By 
means of these squalls, the boats and chasse-marees, which 
had hovered about the mouth of the Adour for several days, 
were enabled to pass the bar, and the groundwork of the 
floating bridge (if such an Iricism be admissible) was laid. 

As the passage of the bar was an operation of considera- 
ble difficulty, and as I was fortunate enough to be an eye- 
witness to the daring intrepidity and nautical skill of those 
who effected it, I shall take the liberty of describing the 
occurrence somewhat more at length. 

My friend and myself, having seen a little to the com- 
forts of our men, and added in an important degree to our 
own, by a change of habiliments, walked forth, with no 
other view than that of whiling away certain hours, which 
might have otherwise hung heavy on our hands. We 
took the direction of the river's mouth, because there a 
dark pine wood promised to shelter us from the blast ; and 
because we were anxious to see how far the engineers 
had proceeded in the construction of the bridge. At this 
time, be it observed, we were wholly ignorant of the kind 
of bridge which was about to be formed. We knew not 
so much as that it was to consist of sailing vessels at all, 
hut concluded that pontoons only would be anchored, as 



226 

had been the case at the Bidaossa. Our astonishment mny 
therefore be conceived, when, on mounting an eminence, 
we beheld a squadron of some thirty craft, bearing down 
with all sail set towards the bar ; over which the waves 
were dashing in white foam, being driven inwards by a 
strong gale from the northeast. But we ' were not the 
only anxious spectators of this animating show. The 
bank of the river, and all the heights near, were crowded 
with general and staff officers, conspicuous among whom 
were Sir John Hope, and, if my memory fail me not, Lord 
Wellington himself. The groups were, one and all of 
them, speechless. The sense of sight appeared to be the 
only sense left in full vigour to the individuals who com- 
posed them, and even from it all objects were apparently 
shut out, except the gallant squadron. 

Down they came before the breeze with amazing ve- 
locity ; but the surf ran so high, and there seemed to be 
so little water, upon the sands, that I for one felt as if a 
weight had been removed from my heart, when I beheld 
them suddenly put up their helms, and tack about. The 
prospect from the sea was indeed by all accounts appal- 
ling ; and even British sailors hesitated, for once in their 
lives, whether they could face the danger. But the hesi- 
tation was not of long continuance. A row-boat, Spanish 
built, but manned by Lieutenant Cheyne, and five seamen 
from the Woodlark, threw itself, with great judgment, upon 
a wave. The swell bore it clear across the shoal, and 
loud and reiterated were the shouts with which it was 
greeted as it rushed proudly through the deep water. 
The next which came was a prize — a large French fishing 
lugger, manned by seamen from a transport, closely follow- 
ed by a gun-boat, under the command of Lieutenant Che- 
shire. They, too, were borne across ; but the fourth was 
less fortunate. It was a schooner-rigged craft, full of 



227 

people, and guided by Captain Elliot. I know not how il 
came about, whether a sudden change of wind occurred, 
or a rope unfortunately escaped from its fastening, but at 
the instant when the schooner took the foam, the main sail 
of her hinder mast flapped round. In one second her 
broadside was to the surf, in another she was upset, and 
her gallant captain, with several of his crew, perished 
among the breakers. The rest were dashed by an eddy 
towards the bank, and happily saved. 

The horror which we experienced at contemplating this 
event, though extreme for the moment, was necessarily of 
short duration ; for our attention was immediately attract- 
ed to other vessels, which, one after another, drew near. 
Of these, all except one particular chasse-maree, succeed- 
ed in making good the passage ; — it shared the fate of the 
schooner. It was upset upon the curl of a wave, and went 
down with the whole of its crew. This last was even a 
more awful spectacle than the former. The little vessel 
after being tossed round, rocked for a moment, as it were, 
upon the surf, just long enough for us to see the despairing 
gestures of the sailors, and to hear their shriek of conster- 
nation, — and then a hugh wave striking her, she fell, not 
upon her broadside, but absolutely with bottom upwards. 
Not a man escaped of all who had conducted her ; and 
several fine promising midshipmen were among them. 

Five-and-twenty vessels having now entered the Adour, 
besides four or five gun-boats destined to protect them, no 
time was lost in running them up to their proper stations, 
and in bringing them securely to anchor, at equal distances 
from one another. The whole were then strongly bound 
together by cables, the ends of which were made fast to 
winches prepared for the purpose on each bank ; and 
which, running both by the bows and sterns, kept the craft 
tolerably steady, notwithstanding the violence of the cur- 



- 228 

rent. I need not add, that no economy was exercised its 
the matter of anchors, of which two were dropped from 
each bow, and a like number from each stern. 

The boats being thus rendered sufficiently secure, half 
a dozen strong ropes were extended along their centres, 
at equi- distances of about two feet from one another. 
These were so disposed as not to bear any continual 
weight upon the smaller vessels. They were indeed 
steadied as they passed over each, by being fastened to cap- 
stans, and so kept from swinging too widely ; but it was 
upon four or five of the largest class only that they were 
made to lean, the intervals between being in reality so 
many hanging bridges. Across these ropes again were 
laid down planks, made fast by ties only ; and the whole 
was so nicely balanced, that the tread of a single passen- 
ger caused it to swing backwards and forwards, whilst an 
entire army might pass with the most perfect safety. Such 
was the famous bridge of boats across the Adour, which 
connected the two banks of the river where it measures 
eight hundred yards in width, and which, in itself, inclu- 
ding ground-work on both sides, covered a space little 
short of nine hundred yards. 

Ahead of the bridge, with their broadsides towards the 
town, were moored five gun-boats, each armed with six 
long twenty-four pounders. These again were in part 
defended by a slight boom ; whilst a boom infinitely 
stronger, capable of repelling any substance which might 
be floated down by the tide, hung between them and the 
bridge. A boom somewhat similar, but more in the shape 
of a break- water, was placed behind the bridge, to shelter 
it from any sudden swell of the sea, such as might be ap- 
prehended during spring tides ; and each boat being man- 
ned by a party of seamen, well skilled in the management 
of such craft, the fabric was justly regarded as abundantly 



229 

secure. To complete its construction, however, gave em- 
ployment to the artificers of the army during two whole 
days, though they contrived to render it passable for in- 
fantry in less than half that space of time. 

In the meanwhile, neither the right not the centre of the 
allied army were inactive. The operations of the 23d, 
of which I have already said as much, and perhaps more 
than one who professes not to speak from personal obser- 
vation is entitled to say, having been concluded, Soul! 
alarmed at the determined advance of his enemies, and 
confounded by the celerity of their movements, retired fin 
the night of the 24th from Sauveterre across the Gave du 
Pau, and destroying all the bridges in his flight, assembled 
the strength of his army on the morning of the 25th, near 
the village of Orthies. Hither Lord Wellington immedi- 
ately followed. Pushing forward a numerous body of 
Spaniards, so as to cut off all communication between the 
French Marshal and the garrison of Bayonne, he manoeuv- 
red with the 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th British divisions, 
during that and the succeeding days, and finally on the 
27th, fought the glorious battle of Orthies, of which, as I 
had no share in it, I shall attempt no description. The re- 
sult of it, as every body knows, was the hasty and disas- 
trous retreat of Marshal Soult upon Toulouse ; the cap- 
ture of Bourdeaux, and the first public declaration which 
had yet been made by any part of the French nation, of the 
renewal of their allegiance to the house of Bourbon. 

Whilst these great deeds were performing elsewhere, a 
corps, consisting of the 1st and 5th British divisions, of 
two or three brigades of Portuguese, and a crowd of Spa- 
niards, proceeded, under the command of Sir John Hope, 
to invest the town and citadel of Bayonne. As the rest of 
my journey will consist entirely of such occurrences as be- 
fell during the progress of the siege, it may not be amiss if 

20 



230 

1 endeavour to convey (o the mind of my reader something* 
like a correct idea of the important city against which our 
efforts were turned, and of the general face of the country 
immediately around it. 

The city of Bayonne stands upon a sandy plain ; the 
citadel, upon a rock or hill which closely overhangs it. 
Between them runs the river Adour, with a sluggish cur- 
rent, resembling, in the darkness of its water, and the sli- 
miness of its banks, the Thames, near Gravesend or Black- 
well, but considerably narrower, and more shallow. Both 
town and fortress are regularly and strongly fortified; and* 
on the present occasion, a vast number of field-works, of 
open batteries, flesches, and redoubts, were added to the 
more permanent masonry which formed the ramparts. Nor 
was the erection of these the only method adopted by the 
enemy to give unusual strength to this most important 
place. Various sluices were cut from the river, by means 
of which, especially in our immediate front, the whole face 
of the country could be inundated at pleasure to the extent 
of several miles ; whilst ditches, deep and wide, were here 
and there dug with the view of retarding the advance of 
troops, and keeping them exposed to the fire from the 
walls, as often as the occurrence of each might cause a 
temporary check. The outer defences began, in all direc- 
tions, at the distance of a full mile from the glacis. The 
roads were every where broken up and covered with abat- 
tis and other incumbrances ; nothing, in short, was ne- 
glected, Which promised in any degree to contribute to the 
strength of a city which is justly regarded as the key of the 
southern frontier of France. 

Such was the condition of the works about Bayonne. 
With respect to the country which these works command- 
ed, it varied considerably both in its nature and general 
appearance, the soil being in some directions tolerably 



231 

(hatful, in others, little better than sand. It was, howe- 
ver, universally flat, and very slightly wooded or broken, to 
the distance of three or four miles in every direction from 
the ditch. A few hamlets were, indeed, scattered here and 
1hcre, (and wherever there is a French hamlet a certain 
quantity of foliage will be found,) the largest of which was 
Anglette, where we had spent the night of the 23d, and 
through which runs the great road to Bourdeaux and Pa- 
ris ; but, in general, the desolate aspect of things seemed 
to indicate, that the labours of the builder and planter 
were prohibited, lest a village or a grove might shelter the 
assailants, or furnish a point of establishment within can- 
non shot of the walls. In the direction of the sea, again, 
and parallel with the left bank of the river, deep sands pre- 
vailed. These were, for large patches, totally bare of 
verdure, but thick woods of dark short pine more frequent- 
ly overspread them, which, rising and falling, as the sands 
had broken up into little eminences and vallies, gave a 
very striking and romantic appearance to that side of the 
panorama. As I afterwards learned, the Llandes, those 
vast forests which stretch all the way to Bourdeaux, and 
winch according to the tradition of the natives, were origi- 
nally planted to render firm what had previously been an 
huge moving quicksand, begin here. 

The description which I have hitherto given of Bayonne, 
and the scenery near it, applies only to the city and to the 
tract of country situated on the southern or Spanish side 
of the Adour. The citadel, again, being built upon a hill, 
or, rather, upon the crest of a range of heights which rise 
gradually from the sea, and extend upwards in a sort of 
inclined plane for about eight miles, differs entirely from 
the preceding sketch, both in its stile of fortification, and 
in the nature of the prospect which it presents to the gaze 
of a traveller. Like all hill-forts, its works are construct- 



232 

ed rather as the natural inequalities of the ground permit, 
than after any scientific plan or model. One of its fronts, 
that which faces the village of St. Etienne, and the mouth 
of the river, presents, indeed, the regular appearance of 
being part of an octagon ; but, in other directions, the 
abrupt and uneven course of the rock has compelled the 
engineer to draw his wall around without any respect to 
form or figure. Yet it is a place of prodigious strength ; 
the only assailable point in it being that which the regulari- 
ty of the ground has permitted to receive the most perfect 
kind of fortification. 

The view from the ramparts of that pile is extremely 
pleasing. Vast woods of pine are seen in the distance, 
whilst nearer the face of the country is beautifully diver- 
sified, by the intermingling of corn fields, meadows, groves 
of magnificent cork trees, vineyards, cottages, and several 
chateaus. Close beneath the wall, moreover, lies the ro- 
mantic village of St. Etienne, with its neat church and 
churchyard, sloping along the side of a ravine, and having 
all its cottages surrounded by pretty gardens, well stocked 
with fruit trees and shrubs. This village was completely 
commanded, not only by the guns from the citadel, but by 
a redoubt which General Thouvenot, the French governor, 
had caused to be erected on a sort of table land near it, 
and which, though no addition to the beauty of the land- 
scape, added greatly to the general strength of the castle, 
by occupying the only level spot across which the be- 
siegers might hope to push a sap with any success. 

Though Bayonne was already, to all intents and pur- 
purposes, invested — that is to say, though the garrison 
and inhabitants were fairly cut off from holding any open 
intercourse with other parts of the country, nothing of the 
confinement of a siege was yet felt by Ihem. The be- 
siegers had, indeed, drawn an extended line around the 



233 

works ; but the French piquets were still posted at the 
distance of three, four, and some of them five miles from 
the glacis ; whilst their patrole-s continually broke the 
chain of connection, and made excursions as far as the 
camp of Marshal Soult at Orthies. This was the case, 
at least, up to the evening of the 24th. There being no 
direct or safe communication between the two banks of 
the Adour below the town, Sir John Kope could not ven- 
ture to tighten the cord, or to convert the investment into 
a strict blockade. As yet, all reinforcements to the little 
corps, which, under the command of General Stopford, 
had passed on the 23d, were floated across by means of 
rafts ; the men and guns sitting upon the beams of wood, 
and leading the horses, which swam after them. Yet even 
in this rude way, so great a force contrived to establish 
itself among the sand hills, by evening on the 24th, that all 
apprehension of a renewed attack from the enemy was 
laid aside. Nevertheless the artificers were anxiouslv 
pressed to render the bridge trustworthy, with as little de- 
lay as possible ; and they strenuously exerted themselves 
to meet the wishes of the General. 

In the meanwhile, about forty thousand men of the Spa- 
nish army were posted along those faces of the town and 
citadel which looked towards Helletre and the Joyeuse. 
The left of this semi-circular line resting upon the heights, 
where, during the late affair, I stood in safety to watch the 
the progress of the skirmishers on both sides of me, swept 
round, through the abandoned entrenchments, to the brink 
of the river. Here the stream being narrow, a pon- 
toon-bridge was already formed, and the line recommen- 
cing on the opposite bank, wound on till it formed a junc- 
tion with a corps of Portuguese, at the back of the citadel. 
But as yet, the chain was continued from that point, only 
by occasional patrolling parties ; and through this opening 

20* 



234 

the enemy daily sent out his foragers, and brought in sup- 
plies. Such a state of things, however, could not be long 
permitted to exist. It was essential to the prosecution of 
Lord Wellington's future operations that the gap should be 
filled up previous to the renewal of hostilities between his 
army and that of Soult ; nor was much time wasted in 
making preparations for driving in the garrison within "the 
walls. Working parties laboured hard, not only during 
the day, but during the whole night o&tiie 24th ; and at 
dawn on the 25th, it was declared that infantry might cross 
the floating-bridge with safety. This was the signal for 
action ; and hence the 25th was again, at least to part of 
the army, a day of hostile employment. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A direct communication between the opposite banks 
of the river being thus established, the remaining battalions 
of the Guards, the chief part of the King's German Le- 
gion, together with a proportionate force of cavalry, and of 
artillery, marched at day-break on the twenty-fifth, to join 
their comrades among the sand-hills. The whole of the 
besieging army being at the same time put in motion, the 
^ap which, prior to this date, had existed in the line of in- 
vestment, was filled up. Little or no fighting took place 
on that occasion. The enemy perceiving our design, of- 
fered no serious resistance to its accomplishment, but 
evacuating the village of Boucaut, after having exchanged 
a few shots with the skirmishers, established their piquets 
about half a mile in its rear. As yet, therefore, a good 
deal more of open space was granted to them than they 
could long hope to enjoy ; but all opportunity of corres- 
ponding with Marshal Soult, as well as of adding to the 
stock of grain and provisions already in their arsenals, 
was out off. 

The running and irregular fire which had been maintain- 
ed throughout the morning, gradually died away, and 
ceased altogether about noon. From that hour till after 
night-fall, everything continued quiet. A feverish excite- 
ment necessarily consequent, even upon a trifling skirmish, 
prevailed indeed amongst us ; nor did we venture to take 
off our accoutrements, or return to our usual employments 
during the remainder of the day. But we might have 
done so, had we felt disposed, with the most perfect safety, 
for the enemy were two well satisfied with being permitted 



236 

to retain what they did retain, of territory beyond the 
glacis, to endanger its loss by an useless attempt to regain 
what had been wrested from them. Still we were anxious, 
and the anxiety which pervaded us all the day, ceased not 
to operate at night. 

The garrison of Bayonne, we were well aware, was at 
once numerically powerful, and composed of the best 
troops in the French army. From all that we could learn, 
Soult had by no means calculated upon the plan of opera- 
tions adopted by Lord Wellington. Concluding that his 
Lordship would halt after the passage of the Adour, and 
invest that important place with the whole of his forces, he 
had thrown into it no fewer than fifteen thousand picked 
men, assigning the command to General Thouvenot, an 
officer, who, by his successful defence of Burgos, on a 
former occasion, appeared worthy of so delicate a trust on 
the present. Lord Wellington was, however, too con- 
scious of the advantages which arise in war from celerity 
of movement, to waste his time before the walls of Ba- 
yonne. He accordingly left Sir John Hope to mask the 
city with the two British divisions, which composed the 
left column, a force somewhat inferior in point of numbers 
to that which it blockaded ; whilst he himself, with the 
remaining five divisions, hung upon the rear of the retreat- 
ing army. It is true, that our little corps dhirmie was sup- 
ported by thirty or forty thousand Spaniards, who, if they 
served no other purpose, made at least a show, and hin- 
dered weak foraging parties from traversing the open coun- 
try ; but upon their efforts little reliance could be placed, 
in case a bold sally should be made ; whilst the scattered 
order of our encampment hindered us from opposing, at 
any given point, a force at all competent to meet at least 
with decisive superiority, that portion of the garrison which 
the governor might at any time employ in such a service. 
t 



237 

The circumference of Bayonne, measuring it from the 
terror of the works, cannot be computed at less than four 
miles. Our line again which encircled it at a distance of 
three miles from the ditch, would of course greatly exceed 
this ; and when it is remembered that not more than fifty 
thousand men at the utmost, and of those something less 
than fifteen thousand who were trust-worthy, octupied that 
line, it will be seen that our situation was not such as to 
render caution unnecessary, or apprehension groundless. 
We had, however, retired to rest at the usual hour, on 
the night of the 25th; all things continuing in apparent 
security ; when sleep, which was beginning to assert its 
dominion over our senses, was suddenly dispelled, by the 
report of a musket-shot, in the direction of the piquets. 
The battalion to which I was attached, still kept its ground 
behind the sand hill, whither it had moved, after the affair 
of the 23d. Its out-posts were divided from the camp, 
only by the hill ; consequently little time could be given to 
prepare and accoutre in case an attack should be made. 
Not a moment was therefore wasted in surmises, not a hint 
was thrown out as to the propriety of waiting till a little 
more firing should bespeak cause of serious alarm ; but 
every man sprang from his pallet, and casting about him as 
much of his garments as could be found on the instant, 
seized his arms, and ran to the place of muster. And 
now another and another shot was fired; the bugles began 
to sound, the baggage was hastily packed, the horses sad- 
dled, and all the bustle and hurry attendant upon the pre- 
parations for battle took place. For myself, having seen 
that my men were in their ranks, I ran to the top of a hill, 
from whence I beheld the flashes of several muskets, half 
way between our sentinels and those of the enemy ; bui 
no sound of advancing columns met my ear, neither were 
these flashes returned by our own soldiers. The 



238 

of surprise excited by all this was not, however, of long 
continuance. The officer in command of the out-posts 
dispatched a messenger to inform us, that no symptom of 
an attack was discernable ; but that several deserters had 
come into his lines, at whom the French sentries fired as 
they fled. This account was speedily confirmed by the 
arrival of the deserters in the camp ; and the troops ac- 
cordingly laid aside their weapons, and returned to their 
tents. 

The alarm in that direction had hardly subsided, when 
another and a not less serious one arose in a different 
quarter. A sentry who was posted by the bank of the 
river, reported to his officer, when visiting him, that boats 
were moving, and oars splashing in the water. Apprehen- 
sions were immediately excited for the safety of the bridge, 
against which we naturally concluded that some attempt 
was about to be made. To oppose it as far as possible, 
of whatever nature it might be, three field-pieces which 
were attached to our brigade, limbered up, and galloped to 
the water's edge ; these I accompanied, and certainly the 
splash of oars was very audible, though the darkness 
would not permit us to distinguish from whence the sound 
proceeded. A shot or two were, however, fired in the di- 
rection of the sound, just by way of hinting to the enemy 
that we were awake ; and whether it was that the hint was 
not lost upon them, or that they never seriously entertained 
the idea of assailing the bridge, an immediate cessation of 
rowing was the consequence. Having watched, therefore, 
for half an hour, and neither hearing nor seeing anything 
indicative of danger, I left the gunners to themselves ; and 
returning to my cloak and blanket, I wrapt myself closely 
up, and slept soundly and securely till the morning. 

The whole of the 26th passed over, without the occur- 
rence of any event worthy of mention. By myself it was 



239 

spent, not very profitably, in sauntering about among the 
pine-woods, where little or no game was to be found ; 
whilst for the troops in general, as well within as without 
the walls of the beleaguered city, it might be accounted a 
sort of armed truce. Hardly a cannon-shot was fired from 
sun-rise till sun-set, on either side ; but matters were draw- 
ing fast to a crisis. Stores and ammunition were conti- 
nually conveyed across the river in large quantities, and it 
was manifest, that even the few miles of open country 
which the garrison still held, would, before long, be taken 
away from them. It was, therefore, no unexpected com- 
munication which I received, on the morning of the 27th, 
that the corps was to stand to its arms forthwith, and that 
the enemy were to be driven in all directions within their 
works. 

Having, in a former chapter, described the nature of 
the ground in our immediate front, the reader will readily 
understand why no serious advance en our part was intend- 
ed. We were already within point-blank range of the 
guns on the ramparts ; whilst between the ramparts and 
the camp, no broken ground, nor village, nor any other 
species of cover, existed. We could not, therefore, hope 
to establish ourselves, had we even pushed on, whilst the 
French general, by opening the sluices from the river, 
might, at any moment, lay the whole level under water. 
On the opposite side of the Adour, however, the case was 
different. There, the most forward British piquets were 
very little in advance of the village of Boucaut, and the 
village of Boucaut is full four miles from the citadel. 
The face of the country, two, between these points, being 
rugged and broken, numerous positions could be taken up 
by the besiegers, in which, whilst they were themselves 
secure from the fire of the place, they could easily prevent 
the garrison from venturing beyond the ditch ; whilst the 



240 

relative situations of the town and fortress, rendered the 
one secure against .active annoyance, till after the other 
should have fallen into our hands. Though, therefore, it 
was understood that the whole of our line was to be drawn 
somewhat more tightly round the city, we were all aware 
that the trenches would be opened, and breaching batteries 
thrown up against the citadel alone. 

The men being accoutred, and the baggage packed, we 
stood quietly in our ranks, behind the sand hill, till a gun, 
from the opposite bank of the stream, sounded the signal 
of attack. Upon this we extended our files, so as to give 
to a single weak battalion the appearance of an entire bri- 
gade, and ascending the heights, we stopped short where 
the tops of our bayonets, and the feathers of our caps, 
just showed themselves over the ridge. Similar demon- 
strations were likewise made by the corps which rilled An- 
glette and crowned the rise in connexion with it ; whilst 
occasionally a shout was raised, as if at length the order 
of attack had been given, and we were preparing to rush 
on. All this was done, for the purpose of drawing the 
attention of the enemy to many different points at the 
same time, and thus hindering them from opposing, with 
the total strength of the garrison, the forward movements 
of those who were appointed to invest the castle. 

Whilst we, and the divisions near us, were thus amusing 
ourselves and the enemy with the pomp and circumstance, 
rather than with the reality of war, the guards and light 
Germans, with a corps of Portuguese infantry, were very 
differently occupied on the other bank of the river. As 
our situation was a commanding one, it enabled us to ob- 
tain a tolerably distinct view of their proceedings. We 
saw one column of British troops form on the sands beside 
Boucaut. In front of it was a body of German riflemen, 
who pressed leisurely ^forward in skirmishing order, till 



241 

they reached the piquets of the French troops. Ot' the 
enemy, on the other hand, a heavy column showed itself 
upon the high ground, where it halted, and continued to 
send out numerous parties to support the out-posts ; be- 
tween whom and the Germans, a hot skirmish soon be- 
gan, nor could it be said that any decided advantage was 
gained by either party during several hours. 

The column which we descried upon the sands beside 
Boucaut, was not of great strength ; indeed, the numbers 
of our own people, discernible by us, were very inconsi- 
derable. The fact, as I afterwards learned, was, that the 
side of the hill visible to us, was by far the most rugged 
and the least assailable of any ; consequently, the main 
attack was to be made in another direction, the attack in 
this waiting till the other should have in part succeeded. 
Hence the trifling progress made by our skirmishers, who 
seemed to be kept back rather than animated forward by 
their officers, and hence the apparently obstinate resist- 
ance of the French piquets. But it was, nevertheless, an 
exceedingly interesting spectacle, to the beauty of which, 
the uneven and picturesque nature of the scenery around 
added not little. 

I wish I could convey to the mind of the reader some 
notion of the scene as it then appeared, and is still remem- 
bered by myself. Let him imagine himself, then, lying 
with me upon the brow of a sand hill, and looking down, 
first upon the broad and deep waters of the Adour, and 
over them, upon a sandy bank, which speedily ends, and 
is succeeded by a green hill ; having in its side, the side 
upon which we are gazing, frequent cuts or gullies, or 
glens, some of them bare, others wooded, with here and 
there a white cottage showing itself from among the trees. 
Let him imagine that he sees, on the summit of the heights, 
and immediately in a line with himself, a portion of an 

21 



242 

armed mass, with a single field-piece pointed towards &t& 
river's mouth. About a mile to the rearward, again, let 
him figure to himself a green field, more level than any 
other part of the hill-side, a sort of table-land as it were, 
having a hedge along that face of it which is turned towards 
Boucaut, and a precipitous red bank under the hedge. In 
this field he will observe about three hundred infantry sol- 
diers, dressed in grey great-coats and broad caps, or cha- 
cauts, who carry hairy knapsacks on their backs, and are 
armed with long clear muskets, which have bayonets 
screwed to their muzzles. These are Frenchmen. Un- 
der the red bank, let him farther suppose 'that there is a 
picturesque valley, stocked with tall and shadowy cork- 
trees, about the middle of which is a neat mansion, some- 
thing larger than a farm-house, and yet hardly deserving 
the name of a chateau. That house is full of light Ger- 
mans, and almost every tree about it affords cover to a 
rifleman, who fires, as a good aim is presented to him, at 
the persons behind the hedge. From the windows of the 
house, too, many shots are from time to time discharged, 
whilst the sudden flash, and uprising of smoke, from the 
various parts of the hedge, show that the French tirail- 
leurs are not less active than their assailants, or disposed 
to receive their salute without returning it. In this skir- 
mish little change of ground takes place. Occasionally, 
indeed, a single rifleman will steal on, running from tree to 
tree, till he has reached a convenient spot ; whilst a French- 
man will as often rise, and having watched him through a 
brake, or over a bush, will fire whenever he exposes him- 
self to his observation. But no grand rush is made on 
either side, nor any decided loss sustained, either of ground 
or in men. 

All this while the exertions of our people were, as far as 
might be, aided by a well-served cannonade from the three 



243 

pieces of artillery which had kept their station near the 
bank of the river since the evening of the 25th. The fire 
of their guns was directed chiefly against a large house — 
apparently some public work or manufactory — which stood 
by the brink of the water, and was filled with French 
troops. Neither were the enemy's batteries opposite to 
us idle. Having wasted about twenty or thirty round shot 
without effect, they brought a couple of mortars, with a 
howitzer or two, to bear upon us, from which they threw 
shell after shell among our ranks ; but from the effects of 
the cannonade, the nature of the soil secured us, the shells 
either burying themselves in the sand to the extinction of 
the fuze, or exploding when we were all snugly laid flat, 
and therefore safe from their fragments. 

Matters had continued thus for several hours, and we 
were beginning to fear that some part of our General's 
plan had gone wrong, or that the enemy were in too great 
force to be driven in by the divisions opposed to them, 
when a sudden stir in the French column which had 
hitherto stood quietly upon the heights, attracted our 
attention. The field-piece was all at once wheeled round, 
and turned in the direction of the opposite country — the 
infantry collected into compact order, and were gradually 
hidden from us by the brow of the hill. By and by a few 
musket-shots were fired, then about a dozen more, then 
came the report of one, two, or three field-pieces, and 
lastly a roar of cannon and small arms was heard. This 
was kept up hot and rapid for half an hour. Every mo- 
ment it came nearer and nearer. Now the smoke which 
had at first followed each report after the interval of a few 
seconds, rose at the same instant with the noise — then the 
glancing of arms over the high ground was distinguishable 
— next came the French troops, some retiring slowly, and 
firing as they fell back, others flying in extreme confusion. 



244 

Mounted officers were galloping over the ridge, and appa- 
rently exerting themselves to restore order, but all would 
not do. The enemy were in full flight. Down they rush.- 
ed towards the river, and away along the sands in the di- 
rection of the citadel, whilst our three guns poured in 
round shot amongst them, many of which we could dis- 
tinctly perceive take effect ; and now the green field, on 
which my reader and I have so long looked, was abandon- 
ed. The tirailleurs fled, the riflemen pursued, the little 
column in scarlet pushed on in good order, and with a 
quick pace, whilst on the brow of the height above, a Bri- 
tish ensign was held up as a signal from our battery to 
cease firing. The signal was obeyed, and we had nothing 
farther to do during the remainder of the day, than to 
watch, which we eagerly did, the progress of our victori- 
ous comrades. 

The enemy having fled as far as the manufactory, were 
there joined by reinforcements from the garrison. Here, 
then, the battle was renewed with great obstinacy, but, 
desperate as was the resistance offered, it became every 
hour less and "less effectual. At length the building took 
fire — it was abandoned, and its defenders fled ; after which, 
the entire scene of action was hidden from us, and we 
were enabled to guess at the state of affairs only by the 
sound of the firing, and the direction which it took. That 
inclined every moment more and more towards the ram- 
parts ; but it was ceaseless and awful till darkness had set 
in, and both parties were compelled to desist, because they 
could not distinguish friends from foes. 

In this affair the loss on both sides was severe, but we 
were completely successful. The enemy were driven 
within their works, and our advanced posts were establish- 
ed in the village of St. Etienne, about half pistol-shot from 
the nearest redoubt. In other directions, little change of 



245 

ground occurred. Some Spanish divisions took up a posi- 
tion, I believe, somewhat less distant than formerly from 
the walls of Bayonne ; but neither we, nor the divisions in 
communication with us, were in any degree affected by it. 
We returned, on the contrary, to our tents, having lost by 
the cannonade only one man killed, and three wounded. 

I recollect having stated, in another part of my narra- 
tive, that, except on one occasion, I could not tax my me- 
mory with any symptom of violence or permanent grief on 
the part of a soldier's wife at the death of her husband. 
How to account for this I know not, unless it be that a 
camp seldom fails to destroy all the finest feelings of one 
sex, if it leave those of the other uninjured. The occa- 
sion to which I then alluded occurred to-day. A fine 
young Irishman, the pay-serjeant of my own company, had 
brought his wife with him to the seat of war. He married 
her, it appeared, against the wish of her relations, they 
considering themselves in a walk of life superior to his. To 
what class of society they belonged I cannot tell, but she, 
I know, was a lady's-maid to some person of rank, when 
the handsome face and manly form of M'Dermot stole her 
heart away. They had been married about a year and a 
half, during the whole of which time she had borne the 
most unblemished character, and they were accounted the 
most virtuous and the happiest couple in the regiment. 
Poor things ! they were this day separated for ever. 

M'Dermot was as brave and good a soldier as any in the 
army ; he was, at times, even fool-hardy. Having observ- 
ed a raw recruit or two cower down in no very dignified 
manner, as a cannon-ball passed over them, M'Dermot, by 
way of teaching them to despise danger, threw himself at 
his ease on the summit of the sand-hill, with his head to- 
ward the enemy's guns. He was in the very act of laugh- 
ing at these lads, assuring them that " every bullet has its 

21* 



246 

billet," when a round-shot struck him on the crown of the 
head, and smashed him to atoms. I shall never forget 
the shriek that was raised. He was a prodigious favourite 
with all ranks, and then all of us thought of his poor young 
wife, so spotless, and so completely wrapped up in him. 
" 0, who will tell Nance of this?" said another non-com- 
missioned officer, his principal companion. " Poor Nance !" 
cried the soldiers, one and all ; so true is it that virtue 
is respected, and a virtuous woman beloved, even by com- 
mon soldiers. But there was no hiding it from Nance. 
The news reached her, Heaven knows how, long before 
we returned to our tents, and she was in the midst of us in 
a state which beggars all description, in five minutes after 
the event took place. 

I cannot so much as attempt to delineate the scene which 
followed. The poor creature was evidently deranged, for 
she would not believe that the mangled carcase before her 
was her husband ; and she never shed a tear. " That, 
that is not he !" cried she ; " that M'Dermot — my own 
handsome, beautiful M'Dermot ! O no, no — take it away, 
or take me away, and bring me to him !" She was remo- 
ved with gentle violence to the camp, and the body was 
buried ; a young fir tree being planted over it. 

Several days elapsed before Mrs. M'Dermot was suffi- 
ciently calm to look her situation in the face. But at length 
the feeling of utter desolateness came over her ; and instead 
of listening, as women in her situation generally listen, to 
the proposals of some new suitor, all her wishes pointed 
homewards. To her home she was accordingly sent. - We 
raised for her a handsome subscription, every officer and 
man contributing something ; and I have reason to believe 
that she is now respectably settled in Cork, though still a 
widow. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



From the above date, namely, the 27th of February, 
the siege of Bayonne may be said to have fairly commen- 
ced. To follow, in regular detail, the occurrences of each 
day, as it proceeded, would not, I am sure, greatly interest 
my readers, whilst to lay such detail before them, would 
be to myself an occupation little less irksome than it some- 
times was to kill the tedious hours of a ten weeks' block- 
ade. I may be permitted, then, to state generally, and in 
few words, that the strictest investment was continued all 
the while, and that an extremely harassing kind of duty 
was imposed upon us till the siege and the war were brought 
to a conclusion together, by the hoisting of the white flag 
on the 23th of the following April. Premising this, I shall 
merely take the liberty of narrating, without regard to dates 
or natural order, such events and adventures as appeared 
to myself best deserving of record. 

In the first place, then, it may be observed, that whilst 
on our side of the river no other works were erected than 
such as appeared absolutely necessary for strengthening 
our own position, and rendering the bridge, and the high 
road, and the stores brought up by them, safe from moles- 
tation, the Guards and Germans on the other side were 
busily employed in digging trenches, and in pushing for- 
ward active operations against the citadel. These, as may 
be imagined, they were not permitted to carry on without 
being annoyed, in every practicable manner, by the besieg- 
ed. A continual, or rather a drooping and irregular fire of 
cannon, was kept up upon their parties from the ramparts, to 



248 

which even the darkness of the night brought no cessation ; 
for blue lights were ever and anon thrown out where the 
people were at work, by the flame of which the artillery- 
men were guided in taking their aim ; nor were we wholly 
exempt from that species of entertainment. On the con- 
trary, as the erection of a three-gun battery on the top of 
our hill was deemed necessary, we worked at it by turns 
till it was completed ; and, as a matter of course, we work- 
ed under the fire of all the cannon and mortars which could 
be brought to bear upon us. These working parties are 
by far the most unpleasant of all the employments to which 
a soldier is liable. There is in them nothing of excite- 
ment, with a great deal of danger ; and danger, where 
there is no excitement, no man would voluntarily choose 
to incur, for its own sake. Let me describe one of these 
mornings' amusements. 

It fell to my lot frequently to superintend the people 
when at work. The spot on which we laboured was high, 
and therefore completely exposed to the view of the ene- 
my. It was the top of the hill opposite to them. Imme- 
diately on our arrival, a four-gun battery, with one howitzer, 
and two nine -inch mortars began to play upon us. They 
were admirably served, and the balls hit apparently in 
every quarter, excepting the particular spots on which each 
of us stood. On such occasions, if there be no very pres- 
sing demand for the completion of the work, you general- 
ly station one of your party to watch the enemy. As soon 
as he perceives a flash, he calls out — " Shot," or " shell," 
as the case may be. If it be simply a cannon-shot, you 
either toil on without heeding it, or, having covered your- 
selves as well as you can till the ball strike, you start up 
again, and seize your tools. If it be a shell, you lie quite 
still till it burst. The unmilitary reader may perhaps 
question whether it be possible to tell the nature of the 



249 

missile which is coming against you, when as yet it ha? 
barely escaped from the muzzle of the gun, and is still a 
mile or two distant ; but he who has been in the habit of 
attending to these matters will entertain no such doubt. 
Not to mention the fact, that an experienced eye can 
trace, by means of the burning fuze, the whole journey of 
a shell through the air, from its expulsion till its fall, the 
more perpendicular flight of the smoke may of itself in- 
form him who watches it when it issues from a mortar ; 
whilst there is a sharpness in the report of a gun which the 
firing of a mortar produces not, and which will effectually 
distinguish the one from the other, even if the sense of 
sight should fail. I have heard men assert, that they can 
trace not only a shell, but a cannon-ball through the air. 
Thi3 may be possible ; but, if it be, it is possible only to 
those whose sense of sight is far more acute than mine. 

Though abundantly annoying, it is really wonderful how 
harmless this cannonade proved, continued, as it was con- 
tinued, day after day, during the course of several weeks. 
I do not believe that it cost us, in all, above five men. 
Neither were the enemy more successful in an attempt 
which they made to harass us by throwing shells into the 
camp. As our tents were hidden from their view, they, 
of course, fired at random, and their ammunition was 
wasted ; but the sound of shells falling around us, both by 
night and day, was not exactly the kind of music which 
we should have selected. We became, however, accus- 
tomed to it, so as in a great degree to disregard it ; even 
the dogs, which at first would run up and apply their noses 
to each as it alighted, gradually ceased to take any notice 
of them, till the enemy guessing, or perhaps judging, from 
the absence of all commotion amongst us, that their fire 
was not very destructive, gradually omitted, and at la.s< 
left it off. 



250 

Unless my memory greatly deceive me, the chief sub- 
ject of complaint amongst us was, that we were fettered 
to one spot, and that, without there being in our situation 
enough of peril, or of excitation, to hinder us from feeling 
the confinement as a restraint. Though tolerably secure, 
from the very nature of the ground, our post was one of 
vast importance ; that is to say, had the enemy succeeded 
in forcing it, they might have easily made their way to the 
bridge ere any fresh troups could be brought to oppose 
them. Under these circumstances, it was considered 
imprudent to wander far, or frequently, from the tents ; 
and hence even the resource of fishing and shooting was, 
in a great measure, denied to those who would have gladly 
availed themselves of it. My friend and I did, indeed, 
occasionally venture into the woods ; but these excursions 
Were too rare to be very profitable, and our limits too con- 
fined to furnish an abundance of game. 

All our days and all our nights were not, however, of 
the same tame character. Independently of the usual 
round of out-post duty ; a duty which, to me at least, was 
never irksome, because it always served to keep my in- 
terest awake ; a deserter would, from time to time, come 
over, and bring with him rumours of sorties intended. One 
of them I particularly recollect as having in it a more than 
ordinary degree of excitement. We were sitting one Sun- 
day evening, Graham and myself, in the upper loft of an 
old mill, where, by way of an indulgence, we had establish- 
ed ourselves ;. our commanding officer had read prayers 
to the battalion about half an hour before, and the parade 
had just been dismissed, when a serjeant clambered up 
the ladder to inform us, that the servants and batmen were 
commanded to sleep accoutred; that the horses were to 
be saddled, and the baggage in readiness to move, at a 
moment's notice. On inquiring the cause of this order } 



251 

we learned, that a French officer had arrived in the camp? 
that he had brought with him intelligence that a sally would 
certainly take place a litlle before midnight ; and that the 
garrison were already making preparations for the attack. 
As may be assured, we put everything in a proper trim 
forthwith ; and having seen that our men lay down, 
with knapsacks buckled up, and pouches and bayonets 
slung oa, we too, threw ourselves on the floor, in our 
clothes. 

It might be about eleven o'clock, when we were star- 
tled from our repose by the firing of cannon. The sound 
was, however, distant ; it evidently came from the oppo- 
site side of the river, and it was followed by no musketry. 
We watched it, therefore, for a while, anxiously enough, 
and sat up prepared to issue forth as soon as our presence 
might be wanted. But no bugle sounded, nor was any 
ether summons given; so we lay down again, and the 
night passed by in peace. I have reason to believe, 
however, that the French officer deceived us not. An at- 
tack upon our position had been seriously intended, and 
the plan was abandoned, only, because this very officer 
being missed, it was conjectured that we should be fully 
prepared to repel it. 

Another little affair took place soon after. Whether 
our advanced posts on the left of Anglette had been, of 
late, pushed somewhat more in advance than formerly, I 
cannot tell ; but the enemy sent a message, one morning, 
by a flag of truce, to the officer in command, desiring that 
he would fall back, otherwise they would compel him. 
To such a message a direct refusal was the reply ; and 
they having allowed him an hour to change his mind, pro- 
ceeded, at the expiration of the time, to carry their thread 
into execution. A considerable body of light troops at- 
tacked the post, and a sharp skirmish ensued. The sound 



252 

©f firing soon drew assistance to our piquet; and the re- 
suit was, that the French once more retired within their 
works, leaving us in possession of the disputed ground, 
This event, with many others which I have not recorded, 
because they have in them even less of interest, occurred 
during the remaining days of February, and the whole of 
March. On the first of April our position was changed, 
and we took,*from that period, a more active part in the 
conduct of the siege. 

The change of ground to which I now allude, proved, at 
least for a day or two, extremely agreeable to the corps in 
general. My friend and myself had indeed, as I have al- 
ready stated, fixed our abode in an old mill close to the 
camp, and yet sufficiently apart from it to be freed from 
the bustle. It was a ruinous and dilapidated mansion, I 
admit ; our living and sleeping chamber consisting sim- 
ply of one half of a loft; and only of one half, because the 
flooring of the other half had given way ; to which we as- 
cended by means of a ladder or trap-stair, and from which 
we looked down upon our horses and mules that occupied 
the basement story. But in that old mill, the tiling of 
which was unsealed, and can hardly be said to have been 
proof against the weather, I spent some weary and many 
more pleasant evenings, whilst, ruinous as it was, it ap- 
peared comfortable to men who repaired to it from the 
sandy ground on which they had previously spent several | 
day&~and nights, under cover of the canvass. Though 
therefore I cannot accuse myself of murmuring at the re- 
moval of the camp? it is quite certain that I partook not in 
the general rejoicing which the occurrence produced among 
my comrades ; or that the beauty of the spot, to which my 
tent was transferred, at all compensated for the loss of a 
boarded floor, and a detached habitation. 

It was, however, a delightful change to the majority. 



253 

During the last week or ten days, the heat of the sun had 
become exceedingly oppressive, beating, as it did, through 
the white canvass, and having its rays reflected back, on 
all hands, from a grey sandy soil. Not a tree grew near 
to shelter us ; nor was there a blade of grass within sight, 
on which the weary eye could repose. On the first of April 
we retired about a couple of miles, into the heart of a pine- 
wood, and left the sand-hill to be guarded by the piquets 
alone. Our tents were pitched in a sweet little green vale, 
overshadowed with the dark foliage of the fir trees ; and 
near the margin of a small lake or pond of clear water. 
Here we remained in a state of comparative idleness and en- 
joyment for three days ; running and leaping, and causing 
the men to run and leap, for rewards; till an order arrived in 
the evening of the third, that we should be under arms at 
day-break on the morrow, and cross the bridge, to take 
part in the fatigues and dangers of the trenches. 

At an early hour on the 4th we formed into marching 
order, and took the direction of the bridge. This we cross- 
ed, the planks waving and bending beneath us, as the ca- 
bles to which they were fastened swung to and fro with our 
tread, and then filing to the right, we halted in an open 
field above the vill of Boucaut, where the ground of en- 
campment was marked out. It was a day of heavy rain, 
so we were thoroughly saturated by the way ; and as seve- 
ral hours elapsed ere the baggage came up, we were com- 
pelled to continue in that uncomfortable plight all the 
while. It came at length, however, and our tents were 
pitched ; after which, having substituted dry for wet appa- 
rel, I spent tiie rest of the evening in lounging among the 
numerous stalls and booths which surrounded the market- 
place. 

The village of Boucaut presented at this period a curi- 
ous spectacle. It was not deserted by its inhabitants ; all, 

22 



254 

or the greater number of whom, remained quietly in their 
houses. Their little shops were not closed ; the inns, for 
there were two in the place, so far from being abandoned, 
were continually crowded with customers ; cooks, waiters, 
landlady, and mine host, were all in motion from morning 
till night ; whilst the country people came in, in crowds, 
with eggs, butter, cheese, poultry, and other luxuries. 
These articles of merchandize were exposed for sale in the 
centre of the market-place, a large square, surrounded by 
lofty walls ; whilst along the sides of these walls, sutlers' 
tents, porter-booths, confectioners' stalls, and even tables 
loaded with hard-ware, shoes, stockings, &c. were laid out 
in regular order. The place was, moreover, full of peo- 
ple, soldiers, camp followers, villagers, peasants, male and 
female ; and much laughing and much merriment prevail- 
ed in every direction. To a mere spectator, there was 
constant food for amusement ; in the fruitless endeavours 
of an English soldier, for example, to make love to a pretty 
French girl — or, in the vain efforts of a staid German to 
overreach some volatile, but mercenary villager — whilst the 
ceaseless gabbling in all European tongues — -the attempts 
made on all hands to carry on by signs that conversation to 
which the faculty of speech lent no assistance, — to watch 
these, and a thousand other extravagances, furnished am- 
ple and very agreeable employment to one who was willing 
to find amusement where he could. Yet, with all this ap- 
parent confusion, the greatest regularity prevailed. Not a 
single instance of violence to a native, either in person or 
property, occurred ; indeed, both men and women scrupled 
not to assure us, that they felt themselves far%nore secure 
under our protection, than they had been whilst their own 
countrymen were among them. 

It was our business, whilst the camp stood here, to 
march up every morning to the front, and to work, in turns, 



255 

at the erection of batteries and redoubts, within half-mus- 
ket shot of the wall of the citadel. The spot where I in- 
variably found myself stationed, when my turn of duty came 
round, was a chateau, situated upon the brow of an emi- 
nence ; from the windows and garden of which I obtained 
a distinct view of one flank of the castle. Upon this build- 
ing an incessant fire of round shot, shells, grape, and oc- 
casionally of musketry, was kept up. The enemy had, 
upon their walls, a number of long swivel guns, which they 
could elevate or depress, or turn in any direction, at will ; 
and with which as perfect an aim could be taken as with an 
ordinary fusee. These threw, with great force, iron balls 
of about a quarter of a pound weight. Beside them men 
were always stationed, who watched our movements so 
closely, that it was impossible to show so much as your 
head at a window, or over the wall, without being saluted 
by a shot, whilst ever and anon a nine-inch shell would 
tumble through the roof, and burst sometimes before we 
had time to escape into another apartment. — Then the 
crashing of the cannon balls as they rushed through the 
partitions — the occasional rattle of grape or canister, 
which came pouring in by the windows — all these things 
combined produced a species of feeling, of which no words 
can convey an adequate notion to him who has not experi- 
enced it. It was not terror, it can hardly be called alarm — 
for we followed our occupations unceasingly, and even our 
mirth was uninterrupted ; buj^it kept the mind wound up to 
a pitch of excitation, from which it was by no means an 
unpleasant matter to relieve it. 

Ours was a hionar battery. It was formed by heaping 
up earth against the interior of the garden wall, and pro- 
ceeded with great rapidity. We likewise cut down trees, 
and constructed out of their branches fascines and gabions ; 
but we had nothing to do in the trenches. Of those, in- 



256 

deed, not more than a couple were dug ; the uneven na- 
ture of the ground producing numerous valleys and hol- 
lows, which saved us a great deal of toil, and very suffi- 
ciently supplied their place. 

Besides working parties, it came occasionally to my 
turn to command a piquet. The post at which I was put 
in charge, was the village of St. Etienne, and the church 
formed the head-quarters of the guard. It was a small 
building, but, fortunately for us, constructed with great 
solidity, inasmuch as it stood under the very muzzles of 
half-a-dozen field-pieces, which the enemy had placed in a 
redoubt about a short stone's-throw distant. To add to its 
strength, and to render it more tenable in case of an at- 
tack, an embankment of earth — of earth carried from the 
churchyard, and so mixed with the mouldering bones of 
" the rude forefathers of the village," was raised inside, to 
the height of perhaps four feet ; above which run a line of 
loop-holes, cut out for the purpose of giving to its garrison 
an opportunity of firing with effect upon their assailants. 
When I say that the church formed the head-quarters of 
the guard, I mean that the guard took up its station there 
during the night. Whilst daylight lasted, it kept itself as 
much as possible concealed behind a few houses in the 
rear of the building, and left only a single sentinel there to 
watch the movements of the enemy. 

A little to the right of my post was a couple of barri- 
cades, the one cutting offthe # main road, the other blocking 
up the entrance to a cross-street in the village. Beside 
these respectively stood a six-pounder gun. They were, I 
should conceive, about pistol-shot from the walls of the 
castle, and formed our most advanced stations. — Our sen- 
tinels again ran through the churchyard and streets, wind- 
ing away by the right and left, as the shape of the place 
required ; and they were planted as close to one another 



457 

«s ihc occurrence of trees, or other species of cover, would 
permit. For the French were no longer the magnanimous 
enemy which we had found them in the open field. Every 
man, no matter whether a sentry or a lounger, who could 
be seen, was fired at ; nor could the ordinary reliefs pro- 
ceed as in other situations they had been wont to proceed. 
No corporal's party could march round here, but the men 
themselves stole up, one by one, to the particular spots al- 
lotted to them, whilst those whom they came to relieve 
stole away after a similar fashion. Yet even thus, we sel- 
dom returned to the camp without bringing a wounded man 
or two back with us, or leaving a dead comrade behind. 
- At night, again, the very utmost vigilance was necessa- 
ry. The enemy were so close to us, that the slightest 
carelessness on our part would have given them free and 
secure access through our chain, whilst that very proximi- 
ty rendered it utterly impracticable for the videttes to give 
sufficient warning to men who should not be at every mo- 
ment in a state of preparation. No man slept, or so much 
as lay down. The privates stood round the embankment 
within the church, as if they had been all on watch, whilst 
the officer crept about from place to place in front of it,*or 
listened, with deep anxiety, to every sound. In these 
wanderings, the conversation of the French soldiers could 
be distinctly overheard, so near were the troops of the two 
nations to each other ; and so perilous, or rather so mo- 
mentous, was the duty which we were called upon to per- 
form. 



22* 



CHAPTER XMV. 

T«£ blockade of Bayonne being now decidedly convert- 
ed into a siege, Sir John Hope very justly determined, that 
every brigade of British and Portuguese troops — in other 
words, every brigade upon which he could at all depend — 
should take by turns a share in the fatigue and danger at- 
tendant upon the progress of operations. The tour of 
duty allotted to each was accordingly fixed at three days. 
In consequence of this arrangement,, we who had as- 
sumed the care of the works and out-posts on the 4th, 
were relieved on the evening of the 7th ; and at an early 
hour on the morning of the 8th, once more turned our 
faces in the direction of the pine-wood. The tents which 
we had pitched in the vicinity of Boucaut were not, how- 
ever, struck. These we left standing for the benefit of a 
brigade of Portuguese, which crossed the river to succeed 
us ; and hence, instead of halting where we had formerly 
sojourned, beside the pond, and under the shadow of the 
flr-ltrees, we pushed on as far as the out-skirts of Anglette. 
The morning of the 8th chanced to be uncommonly dark 
and foggy. It so happened, moreover, that a man, who had 
got drunk upon duty the night before, was doomed to suffer 
punishment, as early as circumstances would allow, and 
the battalion having reached what was supposed to be its 
ground, formed a square in a green field for the purpose. 
Partly in consequence of the density of the fog, which 
rendered all objects at the distance of fifty yards invisible, 
and partly because the country was altogether new to us, 
we lost our way. Our astonishment may therefore be 
conceived, when, on the clearing away of the mist, we 



259 * 

found ourselves drawn up within less than point-blank 
range of the enemy's guns, and close to the most advanced 
of our own sentinels in this part of the line. 

For a moment or two we were permitted to continue 
thus unmolested, but not longer. The breastworks in 
front of us were speedily lined with infantry ; mounted of- 
ficers arrived and departed at full speed ; a few field-pieces 
being hurried through a sallyport, where posted upon the 
exterior of the glacis ; and then a sharp cannonade began. 
It was quite evident that the enemy expected an assault ; 
and the accidental appearance of two other British bri- 
gades, which chanced at the moment to pass each other in 
our rear, added strength, without doubt, to that expectation. 
The scene was highly animating ; but the enemy's guns 
were too well served to permit our continuing long specta- 
tors of it. A ball or too striking in the centre of the 
square warned us to withdraw ; and as we were clearly in 
a situation where we w r ere never meant to be, as well as 
because no act of hostility was on our part intended, we 
scrupled not to take the hint, and to march somewhat more 
to the rear. There a certain number of houses was al- 
lotted to us, and we again found ourselves, for the space 
of four days, under cover of a roof. 

We were thus situated, when a messenger extraordinary 
arrived at the quarters of the commanding officer, about 
midnight on the 11th of April, with intelligence that the 
allies were in possession of Paris, and that Buonaparte 
had abdicated. It would be difficult to say what was the 
effect produced upon us by the news. Amazement — utter 
amazement — was the first and most powerful sensation 
excited. We could hardly credit the story ; some of us 
even went so far for a while as to assert, that the thing 
was impossible. Then came the thought of peace, of an 
immediate cessation of hostilities, and a speedy return to 



260 

our friends and relatives in England ; and last, though not 
with the least permanent influence, sprang up the dread of 
reduction to half-pay. For the present, however, we 
rather rejoiced than otherwise at the prospect of being de- 
livered from the irksome and incessant labour of a siege ; 
and we anticipated with satisfaction a friendly intercourse 
with the brave men against whom we had so long fought, 
without entertaining one rancorous feeling towards them. 
I fear, too, that the knowledge of what had passed in Paris, 
caused some diminution in the watchfulness which we had 
hitherto preserved ; at least I cannot account upon any 
other principle for the complete surprisal of our out-posts 
in the village of St. Etienne, a few nights after. 

The messenger who conveyed this intelligence to us, 
went on to say that Sir John had dispatched a flag of truce 
to inform the governor of Bayonne that there was no long- 
er war between the French and English nations. General 
Thouvenot, however, refused to credit the statement. He 
had received, he said, no official communication from Mar- 
shal Soult ; and as he considered himself under the imme- 
diate command of that officer, even a dispatch from the 
capital would have no weight with him unless it came 
backed by the authority of his superior. Under these 
circumstances no proposals were made on either side to 
cease from hostilities, though on ours the troops were 
henceforth exempted from the labour of erecting batteries, 
in which it was very little probable that guns would ever 
be mounted. In other respects, however, things continued 
as they had previously been. The piquets took their sta- 
tions as usual, all communication between the garrison and 
the open country was still cut off, and several families of 
the inhabitants, who sought to pass through our lines, were 
compelled to return into the town. This last measure was 
adopted, as it invariably is adopted when a city is besieged, 



261 

in order not to diminish the number of persons who must 
be fed from the stores laid up in the public arsenals. 

Though there was peace in Paris, there was no peace 
before Bayonne. Our brigade having enjoyed its allotted 
period of rest, accordingly prepared to return to its camp 
beside Boucaut, for which purpose a line of march was 
formed on the morning of the 12th ; and we again moved 
towards the floating-bridge. As yet, however, our services 
at the out-posts were not required ; and as working parties 
were no longer in fashion, we spent that and the succeed- 
ing day peaceably in our camp. Not that these days were 
wholly devoid of interesting occurrences. During the 
latter a French officer arrived from the north, bearing the 
official accounts of those mighty transactions, which once 
more placed his country under the rule of the Bourbons ; 
and him we sent forward to the city, as the best pledge for 
the truth of our previous statements, and of our present 
amicable intentions. Still General Thouvenot disbelieved, 
or affected to disbelieve, the whole affair ; but he retured 
an answer by the flag of truce which accompanied the 
aid-de-camp, "that we should hear from him on the sub- 
ject before long." 

It will be readily believed, that the idea of future hostili- 
ties was not, under all these circumstances, entertained by 
any individual of any rank throughout the army. For 
form's sake, it was asserted that the blockade must still 
continue, and the sentinels must still keep their ground ; 
but that any attack would be made upon them, or any 
blood uselessly spilled, no man for a moment imagined. 
The reader may therefore guess at our astonishment, when, 
about three o'clock in the morning of the fourteenth, we 
were suddenly awoke by a heavy firing in front ; and found, 
on starting up, that a desperate sortie had taken place, and 
that our piquets were warmly engaged along the whole line. 



262 

Instantly the bugles sounded. We hurried on our clothes 
and accoutrements, whilst the horses came galloping in 
from their various stables, and the servants and bat-men 
busied themselves in packing the baggage ; and then hasti- 
ly taking our places, we-marched towards ihe point of dan- 
ger, and were hotly and desperately in action in less than a 
quarter of an hour. 

The enemy had come on in two columns of attack, one 
of which bore down upon the church and street of St. 
Etienne, whilst the other, having forced the barricade upon 
the high road, pressed forward towards the chateau where 
our mortar battery was in progress of erection. So skil- 
fully had the sortie been managed, that the sentries in 
front of both these posts were almost all surprised ere they 
had time by discharging their pieces to communicate an 
alarm to those behind them. By this means, and owing 
to the extreme darkness of the night, the first intimation 
of danger which the piquets received was given by the ene- 
my themselves ; who, stealing on to the very edge of the 
trench, within which our men were stationed, fired a volley 
directly upon their heads. In like manner, the Serjeant's 
guard which stood beside the gun in the village was anni- 
hilated, and the gun itself captured ; whilst the party in the 
church were preserved from a similar fate, only in conse- 
quence of the care which had been taken to block up the 
various door-ways and entrances, so that only one man at 
a time might make his way into the interior. It was, 
however, completely surrounded, and placed in a state 
of siege ; but it was gallantly defended by Captain Fors- 
ter of the 38th regiment, and his men. 

Just before the enemy sallied out, a French officer, it 
appeared, had deserted; but unfortunately he came in 
through one of the more remote piquets, and hence those 
which were destined to receive the shock reaped no benefit 



263 

from the event. His arrival at head-quarters had, how- 
ever, the effect of putting Sir John Hope on his guard ; 
and hence greater preparations to meet the threatened 
danger were going forward, than we, on whom it came 
unexpectedly and at once, imagined. A corps of five 
hundred men, for example, which was daily stationed as a 
sort of reserve, about a mile in rear of the out-posts, was 
in full march towards the front, when the firing began ; 
and the enemy were in consequence checked before they 
had made any considerable progress, or had reached any 
of our more important magazines. The blue house, as 
we were in the habit of naming the chateau, was indeed 
carried ; and all the piles of fascines and gabions, which 
had cost us so much labour to construct, were burned ; 
but besides this, little real benefit would have accrued to 
the assailants, had the state of affairs been such as to 
render a battle at this particular juncture at all necessary, 
or even justifiable. 

Immediately on the alarm being given, Sir John Hope, 
attended by a single aid-de-camp, rode to the front. Thi- 
ther also flew Generals Hay, Stopford, and Bradford, 
whilst the various brigades hurried after them, at as quick 
a pace as the pitchy darkness of the night, and the rugged 
and broken nature of the ground, would permit. Behind 
them, and on either hand, as they moved, the deepest and 
most impervious gloom prevailed ; but the horizon before 
them was one blaze of light. I have listened to a good 
deal of heavy firing in my day ; but a more uninterrupted 
roar of artillery and musketry than was now going on, I 
hardly recollect to have witnessed. 

As the attacking party amounted to five or six thousand 
men, and the force opposed to them fell somewhat short of 
one thousand, the latter were, of course, losing ground 
rapidly. The blue house was carried ; the high road, and 



264 

several lanes that ran parallel with it, were in possession 
of the enemy ; the village of St. Etienne swarmed with 
them ; when Sir John Hope arrived at the entrance of a 
hollow road, for the defence of which a strong party had 
been allotted. The defenders were in full retreat. " Why 
do you move in that direction?" cried he, as he rode up. 
" The enemy are yonder, sir," was the reply. " Well then, 
we must drive them back — come on." So saying, the ge- 
neral spurred his horse. A dense mass of French soldiers 
was before him ; they fired, and his horse fell dead. The 
British piquet, alarmed at the fall of the general, fled ; and 
Sir John, being a heavy man, — being besides severely 
wounded in two places, and having one of his legs crushed 
beneath his horse, lay powerless, and at the mercy of the 
assailants. His aid-de-camp, having vainly endeavoured 
to release him, was urged by Sir John himself to leave 
him ; and the French pressing on, our gallant leader was 
made prisoner, and sent bleeding within the walls. 

Of this sad catastrophe none of the troops were at all 
aware, except those in whose immediate presence it occur- 
red. The rest found ample employment both for head and 
hand, in driving back the enemy from their conquests, and 
in bringing succour to their comrades, whose unceasing 
fire gave evidence that they still held out in the church of 
St. Etienne. Towards that point a determined rush was 
made. The French thronged the street and churchyard, 
and plied our people with grape and canister from their 
own captured gun ; but the struggle soon became more 
close and more ferocious. Bayonets, sabres, the butts of 
muskets, were in full play ; and the street was again clear- 
ed, the barricade recovered, and the gun re-taken. But 
they were not long retained. A fresh charge was made 
by increased numbers from the citadel, and our men were 
again driven back. Numbers threw themselves into the 



265 

church as they passed, among whom was General Hay ; 
whilst the rest gradually retired till reinforcements came 
up, when they resumed the offensive, and with the most 
perfect success. Thus was the street of St. Etienne, and 
the field-piece at its extremity, alternately in possession of 
the French and allies ; the latter being taken and retaken 
no fewer than nine times, between the hours of three and 
seven in the morning. 

Nor was the action less sanguinary in other parts of the 
field. Along the sides of the various glens, in the hollow 
ways, through the trenches, and over the barricades, 
the most deadly strife was carried on. At one moment, 
the enemy appeared to carry everything before them ; at 
another, they were checked, broken, and dispersed, by a 
charge from some battalions of the Guards : but the dark- 
ness was so great that confusion everywhere prevailed, 
nor could it be ascertained, with any degree of accuracy, 
how matters would terminate. Day at length began to 
dawn, and a scene was presented of absolute disorder and 
horrible carnage. Not only were the various regiments 
of each brigade separated and dispersed, but the regiments 
themselves were split up into little parties, each of which 
was warmly and closely engaged with a similar party of 
the enemy. In almost every direction, too, our men were 
gaining ground. The French had gradually retrograded ; 
till now they maintained a broken and irregular line, through 
the church-yard, and along the ridge of a hill, which form- 
ed a sort of natural crest to the glacis. One regiment of 
Guards, which had retained its order, perceiving this, made 
ready to complete the defeat. They pushed forward in 
fine array with the bayonet, and dreadful was the slaughter 
which took place ere the confused mass of fugitives were 
sheltered within their own gates. In like manner, a dash 
was made against those who still maintained themselves 

23 



266 

behind the church-yard wall ; and they, too, with difficulty 
escaped into the redoubt. 

A battle, such as that which I have just described, is 
always attended by a greater proportionate slaughter on 
both sides, than one more regularly entered into, and more 
scientifically fought. On our part, nine hundred men had 
fallen ; on the part of the enemy, upwards of a thousand : 
and the arena within which they fell was so narrow, 
,that even a veteran would have guessed the number of 
dead bodies at something greatly beyond this. The street 
of St. Etienne, in particular, was covered with killed and 
wounded ; and round the six-pounder they lay in heaps. 
A French artillery-man had fallen across it, with a fuse in 
his hand. There he lay, his head cloven asunder, and the 
remains of the handle of the fuse in his grasp. The muz- 
zle and breach of the gun were smeared with blood and 
brains ; and beside them were several soldiers of both na- 
tions, whose heads had evidently been dashed to pieces by 
the butts of muskets. Arms of all sorts, broken and en- 
tire, were strewed about. Among the number of killed 
on our side was General Hay : He was shot through one 
of the loop-holes, in the interior of the church. The 
wounded, too, were far more than ordinarily numerous ; in 
a word, it was one of the most hard-fought and unsatisfac- 
tory affairs which had occurred since the commencement 
of the war. Brave men fell, when their fall was no longer 
beneficial to their country, and much blood was wantonly 
shed during a period of national peace. 

A truce being concluded between General Colville, who 
succeeded to the command of the besieging army, and the 
Governor of Bayonne, the whole of the 15th was spent 
in burying the dead. Holes were dug for them in various 
places, and they were thrown in, not without sorrow and 
lamentations, but with very little ceremony. In collecting 



267 

them together, various living men were found, sadly man- 
gled, and hardly distinguishable from their slaughtered 
comrades. These were, of course, removed to the hos- 
pitals, where every care was taken of them ; but not a few 
perished from loss of blood ere assistance arrived. It 
was remarked, likewise, by the medical attendants, that a 
greater proportion of incurable wounds were inflicted this 
night than they remembered to have seen. Many had 
received bayonet-thrusts in vital parts ; one man, I recol- 
lect, whose eyes were both torn from the sockets, and 
hung over his cheeks ; whilst several were cut in two by 
round shot, which had passed through . their bellies, and 
still left them breathing. The hospitals accordingly pre- 
sented sad spectacles, whilst the shrieks and groans of 
the inmates acted with no more cheering effect upon the 
sense of hearing, than their disfigured countenances 
and mangled forms acted upon the sense of sight. 

It is unnecessary to remind the reader, that whilst our 
column of the army was thus engaged before Bayonne, 
Lord Wellington, following up his successes at Orthies, 
had gained the splendid victory of Toulouse. As an im- 
mediate consequence upon that event, the important city 
of Bourdeaux was taken possession of by Lord Dalhousie, 
and declared for Louis XVIII. ; whilst farther conquests 
were prevented only by the arrival of Colonels Cook and 
St. Simon, the one at the head-quarters of Lord Welling- 
ton, the other at those of Marshal Soult. By them offi- 
cial information was conveyed of the great change which 
had occurred in the French capital. An armistice between 
the two generals immediately followed ; and such an order 
being conveyed to General Thouvenot, as he considered 
himself bound to obey, a similar treaty was entered into 
by us and the governor. By the terms of that treaty 
all hostilities were to cease. The two armies were still, 



268 

however, kept apart, nor was any one from our camp 
allowed to enter Bayonne without receiving a written pass 
from the adjutant-general. Foraging parties only were 
permitted to come forth from the place at stated periods, 
and to collect necessaries from any point within a circle of 
three leagues from the walls. Yet the truce was regarded 
by both parties, as an armed one. After so late an instance 
of treachery, we felt no disposition to trust to the word or 
honour of the French Governor ; whilst the enemy, guess- 
ing, perhaps, that our bosoms burned for revenge, exhibit- 
ed no symptoms of reposing confidence in us. On each 
side, therefore, a system of perfect watchfulness continued. 
We established our piquets, and planted our sentinels, with 
the same caution and strictness as before ; nor was any 
other difference distinguishable between the nature of those 
duties now and what it had been a week ago, except that 
the enemy suffered us to show ourselves without firing 
upon us. So passed several days, till, on the 20th, the 
war was formally declared to be at an end. 



CONCLUSION. 

Little now remains for me to add. My^^e of war, 
and its attendant dangers and enjoyments, Wtold ; and 
T have nothing left to notice, except a few of the most pro- 
minent of the adventures which befel, between the period 
of my quitting one scene of hostile operations, and my ar- 
rival at another. These are quickly narrated. 

Early on the morning of the 28th of April, IS 14, the 
whole of the allied troops encamped around Bayonne, drew 
up, in various lines, to witness the hoisting of the white 
flag upon the ramparts of that city. The standards of Eng- 
land, Spain, Portugal, and of the Bourbons, already waved 
together from the summit of every eminence in our camp. 
Up to this date, however, the tri-colour still kept its place 
upon the flag-staff of the citadel; to-day it was to be torn 
down, and the " drapot blanc" substituted in its room. To 
us, no doubt, the spectacle promised to be one of triumph 
and rejoicing ; for we thought of the gigantic exertions of 
our country, which alone, of all the nations in Europe, had 
uniformly refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of the 
usurper ; but by the French, it was very differently regard- 
ed. Even among the country-people, not a spark of en- 
thusiasm could be traced ; whilst, by the garrison, no se- 
cret was made of their abhorrence of the new state of 
things, and their undiminished attachment to their former 
master. But there was no help for it. " La fortune de la 
guerre," said a French officer to me one day, as we talked 
of these matters ; but he shrugged his shoulders as he 
spoke, and gave no proof that he was satisfied with its re- 
sults. 

23* 



270 

We had stood in our ranks about an hour, dressed in our 
best attire, and having our muskets loaded with powder 
only, when a signal-gun was fired from one of the batteries 
of the town, and a magnificent tri-coloured flag which had 
hitherto waved proudly in the breeze, was gradually lower- 
ed. .For perhaps half a minute the flag-staff stood bare ; 
and then«a>ismall white standard, dirty, and, if my eyes de- 
ceived me not, a little torn, was run up. Immediately the 
guns from every quarter of the city fired a salute. By 
such of our people as kept guard at the out-posts that day, 
it was asserted that each gun was crammed with sand and 
mud, as if this turbulent garrison had been resolved to in- 
sult, as far as they could insult, an authority to which they 
submitted only because they were compelled to submit. 
On our parts, the salute was answered with a feu-de-joie, 
from all the infantry, artillery, and gun-boats ; and then a 
hearty shout being raised, we filed back to our respective 
stations, and dismissed the parade. 

From this period, till the general breaking up of the 
camp, nothing like friendly or familiar intercourse took plac e 
between us and our former enemies. We were suffered, 
indeed, by two at a time, to enter the city with passports, 
whilst some half-dozen French officers would occasionally 
wander down to Boucaut, and mingle in the crowd which 
filled its market-place. But they came with no kindly in- 
tention. On the contrary, all our advances were met with 
haughtiness, and it seemed as if they were anxious to bring 
on numerous private quarrels, now that the quarrel be- 
tween the countries was at an end. Nor were these al- 
ways refused them. More duels were fought than the 
world in general knows any thing about ; whilst vast num- 
bers were prevented, only by a positive prohibition on 
the part of the two generals, and a declaration that who- 
ever violated the order would be placed in arrest, and tried 
by a court-martial. 



271 

We were still in our camp by the Adour, when various 
bodies of Spanish troops passed through on their return 
from Toulouse to their own country. Than some of 
these battalions, I never beheld a finer body of men ; and 
many of them were as well clothed, armed, and appointed, 
as any battalions in the world. But they were, one and 
all, miserably officered. Their inferior officers, in par- 
ticular, were mean and ungentlemanly in their appearance, 
and they seemed to possess little or no authority over their 
men. Yet they were full of boasting, and gave them- 
selves, on all occasions, as many absurd airs, as if their 
valour had delivered Spain, and dethroned Napoleon ; such 
is the foolish vanity of human nature. 

Like my companions, I neglected not any opportunity 
which was afforded of visiting Bayonne, or of examining 
the nature of its works. Of the town itself, I need say no 
more, than that it was as clean and regularly built, as a 
fortified place can well be ; where the utmost is to be 
made of a straightened boundary, and houses obtain in 
altitude what may be wanting in the extent of their fronts. 
Neither is it necessary that I should enter into a minute 
description of its defences, sufficient notice having been 
taken of them elsewhere. But of the inhabitants, I can- 
not avoid remarking, that I found them uncivil and un- 
friendly in the extreme, as if they took their tone from the 
troops in garrison, who sought not to disguise their chagrin 
and disappointment. 

Besides paying occasional visits to the city, much of 
my time was passed in fishing, and in taking part in the 
public amusements which began to be instituted amongst 
us. The sands, for example, were converted into a race- 
course, upon which we tried the speed of our horses day 
after day. Balls were established in the village, which 
were attended by ladies of all classes, and from all parts of 



272 

the surrounding country ; and, in a word, all the expedients 
usually adopted by idle men, were adopted by us, to kill 
time, and make head against ennui. 

Such was the general tenor of my life, from the 20th of 
April, till the 8th of May. On the latter day, the regi- 
ment struck its tents, and marched one day's journey to 
the rear, where it remained in quiet, till the arrival j-f the 
order, which sent it first to the neighbourhood of Bour- 
deaux, and afterwards to North America. 



Thus ends the narrative of the adventures of a single 
year in the life of a Subaltern Officer. Whatever may be 
thought of it by the public, it has not been compiled with- 
out considerable satisfaction by the narrator ; for the year 
referred to is one on which I now look back, and probably 
shall ever look back, with the feeling of melancholy sais- 
faction, which invariably accompanies a retrospect of hap- 
piness gone by. If ever there existed an enthusiastic lover 
of the profession of arms, I believe that I was one ; but the 
times were unfavourable, and he must live for very little 
purpose, who knows not that enthusiasm of any kind rarely 
survives our youth. I loved my profession, as long as it 
gave full occupation to my bodily and mental powers ; but 
the peace came, and I loved it no longer. Perhaps, in- 
deed, the kind of feeling which I had taught myself to en- 
courage, was not such as, in the present state of society, 
any prudent person is justified in encouraging ; for I care 
not to conceal, that the brightest hopes of my boyhood 
have all faded away, and that manhood has produced none 
capable of taking their place. The friend who shared 
with me so many dangers and hardships, fell at my side, 
by the hand of an unworthy enemy. The walk of life 



273 

which I pursued, for a while, so merrily, has been aban- 
doned ; my sabre hangs rusty upon the wall ; and my poor 
old faithful dog is gathered to her fathers. She lies under 
the green sod before my window ; and morning and eve- 
ning as I walk over her grave, if I shed no tear to her me- 
mory, I at least pay to it the tribute of a kindly thought. 
Well, well, all this is as it ought to be ; it is quite right 
that we should learn the folly of fixing our affections too 
strongly upon any thing in a scene so shifting and uncer- 
tain as human life ; and I suspect there are few persons 
who are not taught that lesson, at least occasionally, long 
before their prime be past. 

Let it not, however, be supposed, that he who thus ex- 
presses himself must therefore be discontented with his lot, 
or that he murmurs against the providence which has cast 
it for him. By no means. If in my new mode of exist- 
ence there be less of excitement and of wild enjoyment 
than in my old, at least there is more of calm and quiet 
gratification. Other ties, likewise, are around me, differ- 
ent in kind, indeed, but not less tender, than those which 
time has severed ; and if there be nothing in the future 
calculation to stir up ambitious longing, there is still suffi- 
cient to defend against discontent. At all events, I am 
certain that my present occupations are such as will prove 
more permanently and vitally beneficial to others, than 
those which preceded them ; and let me add, that a man 
need not be accused of fanaticism who is convinced, that 
to look back upon a life, not uselessly spent, is the only 
thing which will bring him peace at the last. 

But enough of moralizing, when, in the words of our 
greatest living poet, I wish to such as have honoured my 
tale with a perusal, 

" To each and all, a fair good night, 
And rosy dreams, and slumbers light." 









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